Pentagon boards’ work suspended; hundreds ousted

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has suspended the work of dozens of Pentagon advisory boards and asked hundreds of appointees to step down in what officials described as partly an effort to counteract a flurry of appointments that took place in the Trump administration’s final days.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the work of more than 40 boards would be halted over the next five months while Austin conducts a “zero-based review,” which also seeks to optimize the bodies’ work. Members of the boards who were appointed by the Pentagon will be asked to resign this month, Kirby told reporters at the Pentagon.