Mr. Trump officially nominated US Secretary of State, is there about to be a historic "blood change" at the Pentagon?

On November 13, US President-elect Donald Trump officially announced his nominations for the position of Secretary of State as well as other positions for the upcoming administration, and is preparing for a major reorganization at the Department of Defense .

Mr. Donald Trump (left) and Senator Marco Rubio at a campaign rally in North Carolina on November 4. (Source: AP)

According to AP news agency, Republican Senator Marco Rubio, representing the state of Florida, has been nominated to take up the position of Secretary of State in the new administration.

In a statement, Mr. Trump praised: "Mr. Rubio is a respected leader and a very strong voice for freedom. A strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never back down from his enemies."

Marco Rubio, 53, is the son of Cuban immigrants. He is a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

He competed with Mr. Trump in the 2016 presidential election. After Mr. Trump took office, Mr. Rubio became a key ally of the White House on policy toward the Latin American region.

Mr. Marco Rubio is a hardliner on China and Iran and supports Mr. Trump on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

On the same day, the President-elect also selected former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) , affirming: "Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community, protecting our constitutional rights and ensuring peace through strength."

Tulsi Gabbard (born April 12, 1981) is a politician , US Army Reserve officer and political commentator. She served as a US Representative representing the state of Hawaii from 2013-2021 and is the first Samoan-American member of the US Congress.

She was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. In October 2022, she left the Democratic Party to become an independent candidate, before joining the Republican Party in 2024.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that members of Mr. Trump's transition team are drawing up a list of military officers to be fired, potentially including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in an unprecedented shakeup at the Department of Defense.

Sources familiar with the matter said the layoffs are in the early stages and could change as the Trump administration takes shape. One source questioned the feasibility of the Pentagon shakeup.

It is also unclear whether the president-elect himself would endorse the plan, although Trump has previously criticized many defense leaders who have criticized him, and vowed during the campaign to fire “woke” generals (a term often used to mock those perceived as left-wing) and those responsible for the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Another source said the incoming administration is likely to focus on military officers seen as having ties to former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, a fierce critic of the president-elect.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff consists of the highest-ranking officers in the US military, including the heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Guard and Space Force.

The revelation of plans to fire senior leaders of the US armed forces comes a day after Mr. Trump picked Pete Hegseth, a veteran and Fox News commentator, to be his defense secretary. Pete has signaled his willingness to overhaul the Pentagon.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ong-trump-chinh-thuc-de-cu-ngoai-truong-my-sap-co-cuoc-thay-mau-lich-su-o-lau-nam-goc-293660.html