US President Donald Trump said he will nominate the American Ambassador to Norway, Kenneth Braithwaite, as Minister of the Navy. This was announced by the American leader on his Twitter page.

“Admiral and current ambassador to Norway Ken Braithwaite will be nominated by me to the post of Minister of the Navy. A man of great achievements and successes, I'm sure Ken will do an excellent job! ”Said the American leader.

.... honors that he has earned, including his Trident Pin. Admiral and now Ambassador to Norway Ken Braithwaite will be nominated by me to be the new Secretary of the Navy. A man of great achievement and success, I know Ken will do an outstanding job!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2019

Earlier, the head of the White House announced the resignation of the head of the US Navy, Richard Spencer. According to Trump, he was “not happy” as the Navy tried a marine marinesman Edward Gallagher, who had previously been charged with war crimes in Iraq in 2017. Prior to this, the American leader called on the leadership of the US Navy in his microblog not to exclude this military from the ranks of SEAL (Sea Air Land - US Navy special forces conducting reconnaissance and sabotage operations from the sea).

“The Navy WILL NOT deprive the combatant and Fur Seal Eddie Gallagher of his Trident badge. This business was very bad from the very beginning. Get back to work! ”Trump announced on Twitter.

To this attraction of the American leader, Spencer replied that he was not following his orders from Twitter.

The US Department of Defense, in turn, confirmed Spencer’s dismissal, adding that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper fired him “because of a loss of confidence” because of a “lack of openness” regarding the marine case.

"Defense Secretary Mark Esper asked for the resignation of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer due to the loss of confidence due to a lack of openness about the discussion of the case of" fur seal "Eddie Gallagher with representatives of the US government," the Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement on the defense website departments.

According to Hoffman, Esper learned that earlier Spencer privately "offered the White House - contrary to his official position - to restore Gallagher in the rank and allow him to resign as a Navy special forces soldier."

  • Former US Navy chief Richard Spencer
  • © US Navy / REUTERS

“I am deeply concerned about the behavior of a senior official of the Ministry of Defense. Unfortunately, in the end, I decided that Minister Spencer no longer has my confidence to continue my work. I wish Richard all the best, ”the US Department of Defense press service quotes Esper.

The day before Spencer was fired, he announced that he hoped to continue the proceedings against Gallagher. He told reporters during the International Forum on Security in Canada.

Recall that in mid-November Spencer also became the focus of media attention when he stated in an interview with the Financial Times that the construction of warships in the United States is impossible without the supply of components from Russia and China.

“Absolute submission needed”

Analysts emphasize that the head of the White House "remains true to his habit" - to dismiss and appoint, based on their own preferences and sympathies. At the same time, Trump only works with people who are “absolutely loyal to him,” Konstantin Blokhin, an expert at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in a conversation with RT.

“The head of the White House needs absolute subordination and full agreement with him on key issues in domestic and foreign policy. It differs from all previous presidents in that it views US governance as owning its own transnational corporation. Trump is used to running a business, relying on family, and transferred this way of management to the presidential administration. Accordingly, any disagreements and contradictions with Trump lead to dismissals, ”the analyst said.

According to Blokhin, the actions of the head of the White House are no longer surprised in the presidential administration, since more than half of its composition, which came during the “reign” of Trump, “did not pass his test.”

“The US president is constantly changing, shuffling the deck - for example, four national security advisers have already been replaced. The current president didn’t work with Rex Tillerson, now, perhaps, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will leave, ”the expert explained.

Director of the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences Valery Garbuzov recalled, in turn, that the activities of the Trump administration from the very beginning were accompanied by numerous resignations.

“Yes, and after the election of Trump, his administration was hardly formed, and then completely began to fall apart. It was assembled from persons of the second and third echelons, as many refused to work with the newly elected president, ”the analyst said in an interview with RT.

  • White House
  • Reuters
  • © Larry Downing

Now, according to Garbuzov, Trump himself is conducting a “purge” of people who are not suitable for him.

“Everyone whom Trump dismisses, one way or another, expresses their disagreement with some actions of the administration. In this case, Spencer’s dismissal is explained by the fact that Trump was not satisfied with how the whole story with Edward Gallagher developed, ”the expert said.

At the same time, Garbuzov emphasizes that Spencer was not obliged to fulfill the “orders” of the White House’s head, written on Twitter.

“Recording on social networks is not an order for a senior officer. He must execute orders that are documented. Trump's peculiarity is that he does not know much about the internal cuisine of Washington and ministries. The head of the White House mistakenly believes that if he wrote something on Twitter, then people should do it, ”the analyst explained.

Staff shortage

According to experts, the nomination by the American leader of Braithwaite as a candidate for the post of head of the Naval Forces of the United States indicates a shortage of personnel in the country's leadership.

The current U.S. ambassador to Norway and retired Rear Admiral Navy, 59, a native of Michigan, has held office since February 8, 2018. Then he was also appointed to this post the head of the White House.

As a diplomat, Braithwaite demanded that Norway comply with Trump's instructions to increase NATO defense spending. Then he declared that the Scandinavian state is a key member of the alliance and financially capable of fulfilling obligations to the alliance.

Braithwaite graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in political science, and later received a master's degree in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he holds a diploma from the U.S. Naval College, and in 1986, Braithwaite became a naval pilot.

“At the beginning of his service in 1986, he carried out missions to track Soviet submarines in the northern and western parts of the Pacific region as part of the 17th patrol squadron, stationed at the Barbers Point Air Force Base in Hawaii. After two years in naval aviation, Braithwaite became a public relations specialist and in 1990 headed the public relations department of the naval base in Philadelphia, ”Fox News said.

It is also noted that in October 2001, shortly after the September 11 terrorist attack, Braithwaite took command of the Navy fleet, which was entrusted with supporting the commander of the joint task force in Guantanamo Bay.

“Braithwaite several times served abroad as part of the (mobilized. - RT ) reserve forces of the Navy. In 2003, he served as part of a fleet that participated in the first phase of the US invasion of Iraq, providing operations support from the sea, ”Fox News reports.

  • Rear Admiral Kenneth Braithwaite speaks with former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
  • © US Navy

In addition, according to the channel, Braithwaite also held senior positions in the American oil company ARCO and the largest American non-profit organization in the field of healthcare Ascension Health.

According to Konstantin Blokhin, Spencer’s replacement for the US ambassador to Norway is explained by the fact that the country, being a key player in NATO, is a country “extremely loyal” to the United States.

“The United States sees Norway as a maritime power and relies on the Navy. In addition, Washington often calls Norway a counterweight to Russia. And that person who works in the embassy of this state adopts this tradition. However, the main question is whether the former US ambassador will be able to command not the diplomats, but the navy, ”the expert said.

Blokhin believes that despite the fact that Braithwaite has “some naval past,” it will still not be enough to be at the head of the US Navy.

“The main feature of the Trump administration is that key posts in it are held by people who do not have the necessary qualifications , as well as representatives of the elites who are hostile to Trump, ”the analyst explained.

A similar opinion is shared by Valery Garbuzov.

“The first presidency of Trump is coming to an end, which has moved many to different positions. And the fact that a person who is more connected with diplomacy was invited to the Pentagon to the Pentagon testifies to the shortage of candidates for senior positions even among the military, ”the expert concluded.