Days After Mattis Leaves, Another Resignation at the Pentagon

Just days after Jim Mattis' last day as Defense secretary, another member of the Pentagon's top brass has abruptly stepped down, reports CNN. Defense Department chief of staff Kevin Sweeney, a retired rear admiral who has served in his current role since January 2017, is stepping down. "I've decided the time is right to return to the private sector. It has been an honor to serve again alongside the men and women of the Department of Defense," Sweeney said in a very brief statement Saturday night. The BBC notes that Sweeney is now the third senior Pentagon official to resign since President Trump announced that he would withdraw US troops from Syria; Sweeney, though, made no mention of Trump in his announcement. (More Pentagon stories.)