元国防長官５人、トランプ氏による国防総省幹部の解任を非難

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米国の元国防長官５人は２７日、ドナルド・トランプ大統領が米軍制服組トップのチャールズ・ブラウン統合参謀本部議長を含む国防総省幹部を解任・入れ替えたことについて、議会宛ての書簡で「無謀」だと非難した。（写真は米国防総省。資料写真）
　トランプ氏は今月、米国防総省の大規模な人事刷新に着手。ブラウン氏をはじめとする国防総省幹部を解任するとともに、数千人規模の文民職員を解雇する動きを見せ、国防総省は政治的論争の的となっている。
　議会宛ての書簡には、現政権のロイド・オースティン国防長官のほか、ウィリアム・ペリー氏、チャック・ヘーゲル氏、レオン・パネッタ氏、そしてトランプ政権第１期の国防長官だったジェームズ・マティス氏の５人が署名した。
　彼らは、「われわれは米国議会に対し、これらの無謀な行動についてトランプ氏に責任を問うとともに、憲法に基づく監視責任を完全に果たすよう強く求める」と訴えた。
　また、「トランプ氏による解任は、政権が軍を政治化し、大統領権限に対する法的制約を取り払おうとしているのではないかという、憂慮すべき疑念を引き起こしている」と指摘。
　さらに、「トランプ大統領の行動は、全志願制の米軍を弱体化させ、国家安全保障を損なうものだ」とも批判した。
　黒人として史上２人目の米軍制服組トップだったブラウン統合参謀本部議長は、任期４年のうち２年にも満たず解任された。ブラウン氏に対する不正行為の告発は一切ない。
　民主党は、トランプ大統領とピート・ヘグセス国防長官が軍を政治化し、大統領に個人的に忠実な人物を指導者に据えようとしていると非難している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/02/28-19:30）

Five former US defense secretaries on Thursday addressed a letter to lawmakers denouncing as reckless the recent firings of senior Pentagon officials by President Donald Trump.
Trump this month launched a sweeping shakeup of the US Defense Department, firing top officers and moving to lay off thousands of civilian workers, pushing the Pentagon into the political spotlight.
Democrats have accused Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of seeking to politicize the military and ensure it is led by people personally loyal to the president.
In the letter, the ex-defense secretaries, who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, added their voices to the condemnation, saying they were deeply alarmed by the firings.
We write to urge the U.S. Congress to hold Mr. Trump to account for these reckless actions and to exercise fully its Constitutional oversight responsibilities, the letter said.
The letter was signed by the most recent defense chief under Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, as well as William Perry, Chuck Hagel, Leon Panetta and James Mattis, who served in Trump's first administration.
Mr. Trump's dismissals raise troubling questions about the administration's desire to politicize the military and to remove legal constraints on the President's power, the five men wrote.
President Trump's actions undermine our all-volunteer force and weaken our national security.
Remaining above the political fray is a core principle for the US armed forces, with troops even barred from engaging in some types of political activity to maintain the military's neutrality.
Trump administration officials have defended the firings, with Hegseth insisting the president is simply choosing the leaders he wants, saying, Nothing about this is unprecedented.
No accusations of misconduct have been made against the recently removed officials, including top officer General Charles CQ Brown, who was less than two years into his four-year term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Since taking office in late January for his second term, Trump has instigated rapid, broad cuts to US federal agencies.
The Defense Department -- the largest employer in the United States -- said last week it would soon start cutting its civilian workforce by at least five percent.