Washington (CNN)Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Wednesday that he does not support using active duty troops to quell the large-scale protests across the United States triggered by the death of George Floyd and those forces should only be used in a law enforcement role as a last resort, directly contradicting President Donald Trump.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday he does not support invoking a law that would allow President Trump to use the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement amid nationwide protests surrounding the death of George Floyd.

"I've always believed and continue to believe that the National Guard is best suited for performing domestic support to civil authorities in these situations in support of local law enforcement," Esper said at a news conference Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday he opposes using the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty military forces to American cities to quell riots and protests.

The U.S. military has informed the Iraqi Joint Operations Command that it is "repositioning" troops for "movement out of Iraq." The move came a day after Iraq's parliament voted to expel American forces following the drone killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced on Monday that some forces are being repositioned inside Iraq, not leaving the country.

Two other U.S. officials told NPR some are going to Kuwait temporarily.

Esper also told reporters at the Pentagon an Iraqi Parliament vote on Sunday to expel the U.S. troops was nonbinding, and that there are no plans to leave Iraq yet.

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said Monday that the United States has not made any decision to leave Iraq, shortly after the U.S. military said in a letter to Iraqi officials that U.S. forces would be relocating “to prepare for onward movement.”

On Sunday, Iraqi lawmakers passed a nonbinding resolution calling for foreign troops to withdraw.

In the letter, released Monday, Marine Corps Brig. Gen. William H. Seely III said that U.S. forces “respect your sovereign decision to order our departure.” A U.S. military official confirmed the letter’s authenticity.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Monday that "we will follow the laws of armed conflict" as they relate to the targeting of cultural sites, which is considered a war crime, CNN reports.

Why it matters: The remark appears to contradict President Trump's threat Sunday to target 52 Iranian sites — including ones "important" to Iranian culture — as a response to a potential retaliatory attack by Iran.

Richard Spencer did not go quietly after Defense Secretary Mark Esper asked for his resignation as secretary of the Navy over his handling of the case of SEAL Eddie Gallagher, whose demotion for taking a photo with a corpse had been reversed by President Donald Trump.

In the letter he submitted on his way out the door, he did not say that he resigned but rather stated, "I hereby acknowledge my termination."

Defense Secretary Mark Esper has fired the Navy’s top official, ending a stunning clash between President Donald Trump and top military leadership over the fate of a SEAL accused of war crimes in Iraq.

US Navy chief Richard Spencer has been fired over his handling of the case of a Navy Seal demoted for misconduct.

The case of Edward Gallagher, who was convicted for posing with a corpse, had sparked tensions between US President Donald Trump and military officials.

The navy officer had been due to face a disciplinary review where he could have been stripped of his Seals membership.

There have been differing accounts as to why Richard Spencer was asked to resign.