President Trump told senior military leaders Thursday night that he wants them to give him military options “at a much faster pace” when national-security emergencies erupt around the world.
“I know that government bureaucracy is slow, but I am depending on you to overcome the obstacles of bureaucracy,” Mr. Trump said at a White House meeting with Defense Secretary James Mattis, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. and others.
The president, gesturing to the military chiefs around a table, told reporters, “Maybe it’s the calm before the storm.”
He didn’t elaborate.
Their agenda included denuclearizing North Korea, putting an end to Iran’s “continued aggression and nuclear ambitions,” and ridding the world of terrorism “as much as it can be done,” Mr. Trump said.
“We have had challenges that we really should have taken care of a long time ago,” Mr. Trump said. “It falls on the people in this room to defend the American people from these threats.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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