White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a press briefing that the administration was seeking to ensure that the advisory board members were "qualified to serve" and "aligned" with President Joe Biden's values.

Shortly afterwards, White House spokesman Chris Meagher said that all of the Trump appointees "either resigned" or have been "terminated from their position." Eighteen members of military service advisory boards, including 11 officials appointed by former President Donald Trump, were asked to resign or be fired.

These included former Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway; the former president's first White House press secretary Sean Spicer; Trump's second national security adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster; and Russell T. Vought, a former White House Office of Management and Budget director under Trump.

"The president's objective … was to ensure you have nominees and people serving on these boards who are qualified to serve on them and who are aligned with our core values," Psaki said on Wednesday.

"I will let others evaluate whether they think Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer and others were qualified or not political to serve on these boards."

The duties of the boards are "to inquire into the state of morale and discipline, the curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods, and other matters relating to the academy which the Board decides to consider."

Members typically serve the entirety of their three-year terms.