The sudden resignation of three senior officials from the US defence department a day after the departure of their former boss, Mark Esper, is likely to create more uncertainty between China and the United States on military affairs, observers say. Agreeing with another expert that the US’ comprehensive system of checks and balances would prevent a military crisis from happening, RSIS Research Fellow Dr Collin Koh said: “In the absence of a defence secretary, for whatever duration, commanders are still required to adhere to the guidelines on peacetime deployments.”