Security Shake-Up: Pentagon’s Second-Ranking Official Announces Resignation
- Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:26pm by
Billy Hallowell
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Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III
WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) — In a further shake-up of U.S. defense leaders, the Pentagon’s second-ranking official said Thursday he intends to resign but has agreed to stay on the job until Defense Secretary Leon Panetta chooses a successor.
Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said in an Associated Press interview that he told Panetta last Friday, on Panetta’s first day as Pentagon chief, that he planned to resign for personal reasons. A press release put out by the Defense Department read:
“Bill Lynn has provided outstanding advice and counsel to this department and to the nation over the course of his long career,” said Panetta. “I will rely on his experience and expertise during this transition period. His service will be greatly missed.”
As the nation’s 30th deputy secretary of defense, Lynn capped a nearly two-decade career of government service, during which he served as senior national security advisor to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and a senior advisor to five secretaries of defense.
“I thought this was a logical point for me to depart the Pentagon,” Lynn said during the interview in his office.
He said he told Panetta that he would be best served by having a deputy who was willing to stay at least through President Barack Obama’s first term, which ends in January 2013.
“I did not think I could commit for that type of timeline,” he said.
Lynn said he was leaving for “personal, family reasons,” and wanted to spend more time with his children. He said it had nothing to do with Obama’s choice of CIA director Panetta to succeed Robert Gates. Lynn said he knew Panetta only slightly from periodic contact while both served in the Clinton administration.
“The secretary asked me to stay to ensure a smooth transition” to a new deputy, “and we think that’s probably early fall,” he said. “I think they’ll try to move pretty quickly.”
Panetta’s chief spokesman, Doug Wilson, said Panetta has begun a search for a deputy. Wilson said it was possible that a nomination could come by the end of the summer.
Wilson said no other senior Pentagon officials have indicated they intend to leave anytime soon.
The Obama administration is in the midst of a major rejiggering of its national security team, and more changes are coming.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for nearly four years, is retiring Oct. 1. The current Army chief, Gen. Martin Dempsey, has been nominated to replace Mullen.
Last week, Marine Lt. Gen. John R. Allen won Senate confirmation to become the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. He is succeeding Army Gen. David Petraeus, who is retiring from the military to become CIA director.
Lynn, 57, has been the Pentagon’s No. 2 official since February 2009. He made his mark by focusing on improving the military’s cybersecurity, developing the Pentagon’s first energy strategy and overseeing budget planning. He also played an important role in coordinating with the Department of Veterans Affairs on veterans’ services.
The Pentagon’s cyberstrategy is to be announced next week. The AP has reported that the strategy will lay out some of the cybercapabilities the military may use during peacetime and conflict. They range from planting a computer virus to using cyberattacks to bring down an enemy’s electrical grid or defense network.
Lynn also was a champion of preserving access for U.S. troops to social media tools, even as some in the Pentagon sought to clamp down for security reasons.
In the AP interview, Lynn said his successor’s biggest challenge will be managing further cuts to the defense budget while preserving military strength. Obama last spring ordered the Pentagon to come up with $400 billion in new cuts over the coming decade, and Lynn has been heading an internal review of how to do that.
“You have to recognize there is a strong need for priorities,” he said. “You can’t protect just a little bit of everything. You’re going to have to make some cleaner choices, eliminate some capabilities” and reduce the size of the military.
Traditionally, the deputy defense secretary is the day-to-day operator of internal Pentagon business, including budget oversight and management of the complex issues related to building and buying new weapons. Left to the defense secretary are more high-profile issues such as managing wars and dealing with the White House and Congress.
The deputy rarely is elevated to the top job. The last to take that step was William J. Perry, who moved from the deputy post to be Clinton’s second defense secretary in February 1994.
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Comments (64)
canuck44
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:40pmPersonal reasons…you mean like Panetta is a hack and a loser and there is no way I am going to tarnish my reputation with the socialist trash he will bring with him.
Report Post »Eyeball
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:31pmSomething just over the horizon tht is bad is about to happen.
Report Post »jordy2010
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:19pmObama will replace this Pentagon guy with the Mother Superior of the Sisters of Perpetual Gratitude!!!!!!
Report Post »Charbet
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:12pmIt’s getting crazier by the day! Can’t wait to tune-in for tomorrows episode!
Report Post »last frontier
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:03pmHe probably doesn’t like his new boss Leon the Pinata.
Report Post »heyjim55
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:51pmI have a feeling this guy did not want to work for a Communist, since most who are familiar with Panneta’s back ground know his best friend is a Communist or was he is dead now. Panneta has been linked to Marxists and has spouted Communist views over the years, he has never admitted to it but no one has pressed him on it either, It’s bad enough to have a Marxist president now we have a defense secreatry that is one.
Report Post »likwidlizard
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:51pmHe was threatened when he decided to be more TRANSPARENT and OButthole probably told him he would be conspired against and would end up dead (like so many in the CLINTON administration) or he would spend the rest of his life in prison. So, he’ll be silent and just leave quietly. Many will walk away before serving under this muslim liberal progressive marxist POS we have running the country now.
Report Post »last frontier
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:50pmHere’s a perfect opportunity for the pentagon to go gender neutral.The wheels continue to come off of Obamas KART.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:43pm.
Report Post »Oh Great! Another Top Spot to be filled by some Loon from the left. Van Jones gonna make a comeback?………….
conservativeBC
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:12pmBachmann Spanks Palin In Bill O’Reilly Poll
Yep, Michele thumped her pretty good, and the disturbingly obsessed over at conservatives4palin are throwing mouth frothing fit.
http://thebachmanncometh.blogspot.com/2011/07/bachmann-spanks-palin-in-bill-oreilly.html
Report Post »Sound The Trumpet In Zion
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:07pmI guess another patriotic American that works high up in the government has taken all he could of obama and his cronies’ anti-American policy and has to leave before he throws up seeing what they are doing to this country.
Report Post »SYNJUNSMYTHE
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:06pmThe WH, Pentagon, Cia, Fbi have all been bought off by the enemy whoever the hell that is, they only spy on the American people, watching your internet traffic, listening to your phone calls, if not then get busy with black ops ect..and stop the destruction of our once great country you know like the spy novels,haha anyway I love the ending of The Sum OF All Fears.
Report Post »saviorammo
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 1:41amWe are!
Report Post »sportlock
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:05pmObama was trumpeted as a game changer…
Seems more like a career ender
Report Post »sportlock
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:02pmSeems to be a trend with the Democrats.
1st They know all and have all the answers.
2nd Their policies habitually fail.
3rd They quit and have no accountability for their actions.
Oh yeah
4th They find some way to blame the failed policy on a Republican.
They don’t make gaffes, they simply mis-speak
Report Post »They are never wrong, they simply mis-judge the severity of the situation
crapgame
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:02pmThe wind blew and the S– flew, I got a felling things are going to get dicey in washington soon. Cant blame the guy for gettin while the getting is still good, the stech from Obummers administration is getting to be to much for some people to bare.
Report Post »JOHNNYROTEN
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:01pmbho, the biggest stain in US history
Report Post »Spikey_Dude
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:01pmJumpin-Ship…..before it sinks!
MSM, hello….”but why would annnnyyyyyone want to quit the obama team?”
I can hear the replays in my mind….whenever someone left G.W.Bush, Oh Man! MSM was ALL over him…like the Gas Prices!
Please…
Report Post »dealer@678
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:58pmEVERYBODY is jumping ship on Osama
Report Post »momprayn
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:49pm******* – yeah, I was thinking along the same lines. I guess I have to give him the benefit of the doubt since I don’t know anything about this – but I do know about the corruption, etc. that‘s going on up there and there’s usually some kind of political reason. What I’m praying for are more whistleblowers who have the courage to come forward and “spill the beans” about this awful stuff going on that is destroying our country with treasonous people. Just now Hannity was talking to Issa about the “Fast and Furious” gun deal & it sounds like Eric Holder’s days are numbered – hopefully!!!!!
Report Post »But the “biggie” of course is Obama. I was hoping maybe Gates would come forward after he left. He probably knows a lot. Then we have this 14th amendment deal re the debt ceiling – some say is an impeachable offense. We’ll see….maybe the truth is finally closing in & we will have some justice done – please God!!
SandyfromChesterfield
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:48pm“You’re going to have to make some cleaner choices, eliminate some capabilities” and reduce the size of the military.” THAT IS A SCARY STATEMENT WHICH TELLS YOU WHAT OBAMA IS PLANNING TO DO TO OUR MILITARY.
Report Post »pghpatriot
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:50pmi wish obama would do that to the government, starting with interns, instead of the military!
Report Post »semihardrock
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:46pmLET ME GUESS, he is being replaced with a transgender muslim communist. NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:45pmMore smart RATS jumping ship.?
Report Post »4stmichael
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:44pmI thought this was a logical point for me to depart the Pentagon,” Lynn said during the interview in his office.
He said he told Panetta that he would be best served by having a deputy who was willing to stay at least through President Barack Obama’s first term, which ends in January 2013.
“I did not think I could commit for that type of timeline,” he said.
Lynn said he was leaving for “personal, family reasons,”
Report Post »===
can’t argue with that
mlcblog
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 3:54amEloquent, isn’t he?
Report Post »sooner12
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:43pmCan’t wait ’til this Administration with all their lackeys are out of office.
Report Post »CrackersSmurf
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:39pmI thought this was a logical time he said. which means, I think it is about time to gather up the wife and kids and roll out of this area cause I know bad things are coming. Someone should speak out from the government for once and say why and not “personal reasons”.
Report Post »Oh My God
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:44pmright o!!
Report Post »OneofMany
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:17pmAgreed! CYA and leave the surfs to fend for themselves.
Report Post »Bluebonnet
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 10:31pmEric Holder did it. He was the guy in highest ranking position and he knew and approved. Told others not to talk about it or they would get it.
Report Post »jeffyfreezone
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:43pmOMG! This is not a good sign.
Report Post »