secretary of defense

Shanahan IG Report Expected this Week 0
- Congress/DoD, DC360
- April 22, 2019
A DOD inspector general’s report reviewing whether Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has shown favor toward his former employer Boeing is expected to be completed by the end of the week, according to a CNN report. The investigation is examining if Shanahan violated his DOD ethics agreement by expressing preference for Boeing products in his
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The Search for a SECDEF 0
- Congress/DoD, DC360
- February 21, 2019
At least four candidates to become the next secretary of defense have said no, Foreign Policy reported. That includes Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and retired Gen. Jack Keane. “The sacrifices associated with becoming secretary of defense deter most qualified candidates,” Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute
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Mattis to Depart Pentagon in February 0
- Congress/DoD
- December 21, 2018
President Trump will need to find a new defense secretary after his first Pentagon chief Jim Mattis submitted his resignation Thursday in response to the president’s abrupt announcement the previous day that he would pull U.S. troops out of Syria. The table had been set for Mattis’ departure in recent months, though, as he found
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Pentagon to Look at 1986 Law that Revamped Command Structure 0
- Congress/DoD
- December 9, 2015
The Defense Department is reviewing the landmark 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act, which revamped the military’s organizational structure and streamlined the military chain of command. “This is something that the secretary feels is important to take a look at the department and the structure right now within the DOD and to make sure that we’re doing things as efficiently as possible,” Peter Cook, Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s press secretary, said Tuesday. “This is something that he’s initiated here within the department itself, to take a hard look at how things are structured right now. Whether or not things could be done differently in the spirit of Goldwater-Nichols and the changes that resulted from that many years ago …
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Carter Pledges to Fight for Service Members, Build Force of the Future 0
- Congress/DoD, Headlines
- February 18, 2015
Ashton Carter was formally sworn in Tuesday as defense secretary, providing the former deputy defense secretary almost two years to tackle a number of thorny national security crises. “If anyone is made for this job, if there’s a job description that fits a person, this is the guy that fits the job description,” Vice President Joe Biden said before administering the oath of office to Carter at the White House. Carter, 60, also served as the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics under Obama. In a message to the DOD workforce, Carter laid out three priorities for his tenure: Helping the president make the best possible national security decisions for protecting the nation …
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Reporting to Duty, Carter Will Face Numerous Priorities 0
- Congress/DoD, Headlines
- February 16, 2015
Ashton Carter, who is scheduled to be sworn in as the next defense secretary Tuesday morning, will have an array of foreign crises to deal with, calling into question his ability to reach a breakthrough with Congress to loosen the statutory cap on defense spending. “One thing we know for sure about Ash Carter’s tenure as defense secretary is that it will be fleeting,” said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute. “Whatever plans he may have for spurring innovation or reforming processes, the reality is that his schedule will probably be captured by bigger issues such as [the Islamic State] and Ukraine …
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