President-elect Donald Trump’s first military briefing may come as soon as Friday, a Defense Department spokesman said Thursday.
“Representatives of the president-elect’s transition team contacted the department a short time ago to arrange initial briefings,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in an email. “We expect the first will take place Friday.”
Under instructions from Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Cook said, “We will do everything we can to help ensure a seamless and efficient transition.”
Trump’s contacts with the military leadership may initially be filled with some wariness. During his triumphant campaign, Trump criticized the Pentagon’s efforts to quash Islamic State extremists in the Middle East as unsuccessful and said he knew more about ISIS than the generals.
Trump, though, won the support of numerous retired generals and admirals, partly due to his pledge to orchestrate a significant buildup of the U.S. military, particularly the naval fleet.
Among the military briefings that Trump will get in coming weeks are those involving the U.S. nuclear arsenal and the codes he would use in his capacity as commander in chief to launch a nuclear strike were the United States to face imminent threat after he takes office Jan. 20.
Tim Johnson: 202-383-6028, @timjohnson4
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