This week in Congress: Another blitz of Pentagon nominees

If we ever get back to serious governance we should take a long hard look at how congress (in this case the Senate Armed Services Committee) vets nominees for Pentagon posts. The political nature of these posts must be kept to an absolute minimum and while it would be nice to have a clear demarcation, we need to fess-up and admit it’s as bad as the condition of our southern border. We need and want the best people for these positions, not wana-be politicians.

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
..."The remaining nominees will have their chance before the panel on Thursday. That list includes two nominees for manpower and reserve affairs posts (Franklin Parker for the Navy, Agnes Schaefer for the Army) as well as Ravi Chaudhary to be assistant secretary of Air Force installations and Frank Calvelli to be assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition.

A key Russia expert and two other defense experts are being blocked from joining the Pentagon by GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, as the Biden administration struggles to solve the deepening Russia-Ukraine crisis and deploys thousands of U.S. troops to bolster European allies.
By Joe Gould
Last week, the three Pentagon nominees that had been pending since October, including Sasha Baker, policy deputy for the Defense Secretary. Lawmakers have lamented the slow pace of defense nominations over the last year, blaming both the Senate and the White House."...