Pentagon spokesman stepping down

The Pentagon’s top spokesman on Wednesday said he would step down from his post as new Defense Secretary Ashton Carter prepares to lead the agency.
 
Rear Adm. John Kirby said that Carter “comes to the job wanting to revisit the role” of DOD’s chief spokesman and “whether it’s appropriate or not” to have someone in uniform standing behind the podium.
 
Carter, who was sworn in on Tuesday, wants to replace Kirby with a civilian, defense officials told The New York Times.
 
It’s not unusual for a new Cabinet secretary to appoint his or her own press secretary, but Wednesday’s announcement shows Carter is wasting no time trying to make his mark on the Pentagon in the final two years of the Obama administration.
 
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Kirby said he had agreed to stay on “for a couple of weeks” to help with the transition. He said he was unaware whether a replacement had been found.
 
Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel picked Kirby, who has served as a Navy officer since 1986, to be his press secretary in late 2013.
 
Kirby demurred at the idea that his position as a military officer placed him in the uncomfortable role of questioning a decision by the Pentagon’s civilian leadership.
 
“Honestly, it hasn’t been a big issue for me,” he said, though he acknowledged there have been internal discussions that have veered more toward politics.
 
But those instances have been “few and very, very far between,” according to Kirby.