Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday announced the ouster of hundreds of members of the Pentagon’s advisory boards, in a sweeping move that affects a series of last-minute appointees by the Trump administration, according to a Department of Defense (DOD) memo. Austin wrote in a memo (pdf) on Saturday that all members of 31 Pentagon advisory boards would be fired, effective Feb. 16. Additionally, a total of 40 advisory boards listed in the memo are to be subjected to a “zero-based review,” which will involve an “in-depth business case of every sponsored advisory committee, supported by fact-based evidence for [its] continued utilization,” a process that could lead to their future dissolution and dismissal of members. “As an interim step, I am directing the immediate suspension of all advisory committee operations until the review is completed unless otherwise directed by myself or the Deputy Secretary of Defense,” Austin wrote, with the memo indicating …