http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/john-kirby-dismissed-pentagon-115293.html?hp=lc1_4Ash Carter ousts John Kirby as top DOD spokesman
By Philip Ewing
2/18/15 3:49 PM EST
Updated 2/18/15 5:33 PM EST
Rear Adm. John Kirby, who became a highly visible face for the Defense Department as it launched the war in Iraq and Syria, is stepping down to make room for a new civilian press secretary.
Kirby acknowledged his departure in a briefing for reporters on Wednesday, a day after Defense Secretary Ash Carter took an oath of office to become President Barack Obama’s fourth Pentagon chief. Carter wants to “revisit” the role of press secretary, Kirby said, so he plans to name a civilian to take over for the two-star admiral who served as the Pentagon’s first uniformed top spokesman.
“One of the questions that I think he wants to rhetorically ask, or consider, is not just who the individual is, but what that individual represents, and whether it’s appropriate or not to have a uniform up here,” Kirby said. “Those are fair questions for him to ask as he comes into the job.”
Kirby was asked whether he ever felt constrained because, as a uniformed service member, he’s less free to criticize members of Congress or political leaders. No, he said. “It hasn’t been a big issue for me.”
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