Cotton stated that these tactics were not only ineffective but also inappropriate.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) blasted anyone working within the Defense Department to protect certain norms and policies they expect to be targeted by the incoming Trump Administration.

Cotton, in response to reports of DOD employees strategizing to undermine or avoid President Trump’s plans to reform the military and civil service, wrote a letter addressed to Lloyd Austin.

These actions undermine the civilian control over the military as well as our constitutional government structure.

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CNN reported earlier this month that “informal conversations” were taking place among Pentagon officials about what would happen if Trump decided to use the military in a domestic context or fired a large number of employees.

In the report, an anonymous official of the defense department was quoted as saying: “Troops must disobey illegal orders by law.”

“But what then? Do we see senior military leaders resigning?” They asked if they would consider that abandoning their people.

During his campaign, President-elect Trump pledged to shake up the federal administration through staffing or reorganization. According to some reports, certain people will be terminated once Trump is re-elected. Vivek Ramaswamy is a former presidential candidate who has expressed his desire to shrink the federal government.

Ramaswamy, along with Elon Musk, a billionaire businessman, has been selected by Trump to head his Department of Government Efficiency in his new administration. The proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has as its goal to reduce the size of the government, cut spending and increase efficiency.

Cotton criticised Lloyd for his letter, which “promulgated false claims” that the new administration planned to fire uniformed officials arbitrarily.

He also criticized the secretary’s message, which said that after the election the military would follow “lawful instructions” from Trump. Cotton called this “a thinly-veiled and baseless suggestion that President Trump would issue unlawful orders.”

“I must observe that these reports and actions only show the need for fundamental reform at the Department of Defense. These tactics, although ineffective and irritating, are also futile because the incoming administration cannot limit the constitutional authority of the commander-in chief.

Cotton was elected as the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference in the new Congress. Cotton is expected to replace Florida Senator Marco Rubio as head of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Fox News Digital did not receive a comment from the DOD for this story.