White House Is Still Searching For A New Secretary Of Defense

Photo: Jim Mattis / Flickr

Politico: Trump struggles to replace Mattis as Pentagon chief

Former GOP Sen. Jon Kyl is at least the second person to say he's not interested in the traditionally sought-after top Pentagon post.

President Donald Trump is having a tough time hiring a Pentagon chief after the abrupt departure of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late last month.

Jon Kyl, the retired Arizona Republican senator, became the second person to wave off Trump’s overtures last week, telling the White House he is not interested in the job. Ret. Gen. Jack Keane also turned down the job shortly after Mattis’ resignation. (Keane, who frequently advises Trump, had refused the position once before, during the 2016 presidential transition.)

The refusals are particularly striking given that the top Pentagon job is historically among the Cabinet’s most prestigious and powerful, and coveted by national security veterans. But Mattis’ resignation — announced in a letter indicating that Trump had disregarded his advice on fundamental issues — has reinforced the image of a commander in chief unafraid to buck his top military advisers.

Both Kyl and Keane declined to comment.

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WNU editor: I am sure they will find someone in the coming days/weeks.

Is Jim Webb President Trump's Choice To Be The Next U.S. Secretary of Defense

Politico: Jim Webb emerges as candidate for Defense secretary

Jim Webb, the iconoclastic former Democratic senator from Virginia who served as Ronald Reagan's secretary of the Navy, is under consideration for Defense secretary, according to an administration official with knowledge of the process.

Webb would be an eye-opening choice as a member of the opposing party who briefly ran for president in 2015.

But his views on foreign policy and military affairs align with President Donald Trump in key respects. For example, he ran for the Senate in 2006 on a platform to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, even campaigning while wearing his Marine son's combat boots.

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WNU Editor: He predicted that Iraq would be a disaster in 2003 if the U.S. was to invade. He is a hawk when it comes to China. His nomination will pass the Senate. I can understand why President Trump would be interested in him. But I am also sure there are others that President Trump is now screening.

More News On Reports That Jim Webb Is President Trump's Choice To Be The Next U.S. Secretary of Defense

White House Mulls Jim Webb, Ex-Democratic Senator, as Next Defense Secretary -- The New York Times
New York Times: Democrat Jim Webb being floated for defense secretary -- CNN
White House considering Jim Webb as Mattis replacement: report -- The Hill
Dem for Defense?: Gen. Keane Says WH Considering Former VA Sen. Jim Webb to Replace Mattis -- FOX News
Trump Mulls Nominating 'China Hawk' James Webb as Pentagon Chief - Reports -- Sputnik
Will James Webb Be the Next Secretary of Defense? -- James Fallows, The Atlantic
Former Democratic Senator Could Replace Mattis As Defense Secretary, Says Report -- Daily Caller
Secretary of Defense Jim Webb? -- Curt Mills, American Conservative

Outgoing Sen. Kelly Ayotte The Next U.S. Secretary Of Defense?

Washington Post: Trump team discussing Ayotte for defense secretary

The Trump team has added a name to its list of potential candidates for secretary of defense — outgoing Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), according to two sources familiar with the ongoing discussions. If chosen, Ayotte would stand out in a Trump administration as a neoconservative defense hawk and one of the few women in the incoming Trump Cabinet.

No decisions have been made and the current list for possible defense secretary picks still centers around retired Army Lt. Gen. Joseph “Keith” Kellogg, former Defense Intelligence Agency director Gen. Mike Flynn and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.). Flynn would need a congressional waiver to bypass a law that requires any defense secretary to be seven years out of active duty service before taking command of the Pentagon.

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WNU Editor: She is not going to say no .... Ayotte doesn't rule out serving Trump administration (Union Leader).

More News On Reports That Outgoing Sen. Kelly Ayotte Is The Next U.S. Secretary Of Defense

Kelly Ayotte at top of Trump's list for defense secretary -- Washington Examiner
Report: Trump Considering Ayotte for Defense Secretary -- New Hampshire Public Radio
Trump considering outgoing Senator Ayotte for defense secretary: Washington Post -- Reuters
A Trump Nomination to Heal the Party: Kelly Ayotte -- NPR
Rumor: Kelly Ayotte for defense secretary -- Hot Air

It's Now Official: President Obama Has Nominated Chuck Hagel For Secretary Of Defense And John Brennan As CIA Director

Obama Picks Hagel For Defense, Brennan For CIA -- Reuters

President Barack Obama on Monday nominated former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to head the CIA, potentially setting up a Senate confirmation battle on two fronts and establishing a tough tone to start his second term.

Mindful of the concerns about both Hagel and Brennan on Capitol Hill, Obama spoke at length about each in a White House ceremony, then turned over the microphone to outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and acting CIA Director Mike Morell to provide testimonials about their chosen replacements.

Obama urged the Senate to move quickly in confirming Hagel, a military veteran who served in Vietnam, and Brennan, who spent 25 years at the CIA.

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My Comment: My prediction is that both Chuck Hagel and John Brennan will be confirmed .... President Obama has made it very clear that he wants both men on his National Security team .... the question that remains is how many Senators will support this nomination .

I will be giving my own analysis on what these appointments will mean to the Pentagon and the CIA later tonight.

MSNBC's Chuck Todd Is Predicting That President Obama Will Drop Chuck Hagel's Name As A Secretary Of Defense Nominee

My Comment: I agree .... Chuck Hagel's past will complicate the nomination process. the Washington Post is not too worried .... they believe that there are much better candidates from whom the President could select.

The Next U.S. Defense Secretary Will Be Facing Some Tough Challenges

Then-Sen. Chuck Hagel meets with U.S. service members at Multi-National Division South East Headquarters in Basra, Iraq, in this July 2008. Hagel visited Basra with then-Sen. Barack Obama as part of a Middle East tour. Christopher Sheely/U.S. Army

From Capitol Hill To Iran, Next Defense Secretary Faces Challenges -- Matthew Schofield, McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — The trial balloon for the next secretary of defense barely lifted off before the darts started zipping at it, from the left and the right.

The notion: Chuck Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, might be a good pick to fill the shoes of the current secretary, Leon Panetta, when he eventually leaves.

The problems: Log Cabin Republicans used a 14-year-old quote to say Hagel was anti-gay. Some Israel backers used a 2006 quote to question his support of that nation, and a few even said he was an anti-Semite. Neo-conservatives questioned whether he’d be too soft on Iran and Hamas.

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My Comment: Matthew Schofield focuses on some Republican-conservative critics of Hagel, but the situation is more complicated than that .... some conservatives support him, while some Democrats do not. But considering the role and policy choices that the next US Defense Secretary will be faced with .... you have to ask yourself .... is this a job that you really want?

Who Is Going To Be The Next U.S. Secretary Of Defense?

Michele Flournoy, right, with secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at her farewell gathering in January 2012. (Photo credit: Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo/ Department of Defense)

If Chuck Hagel Won't Be Secretary of Defense, Who Will Be? -- The Atlantic Wire

Will President Obama still choose Chuck Hagel, the suddenly embattled former Nebraska senator, as Leon Panetta's successor at the Pentagon? Several different comments came back to haunt Hagel since his name surfaced as the "likely" cabinet nominee, but over the long holiday weekend the opposition expanded from familiar Republican faces to a growing chorus. On Meet the Press, New York senator Chuck Schumer declined to say whether he endorsed Hagel's nomination, and while Politico's Mike Allen is already calling Hagel "toast," The Atlantic's Robert Wright and others quite rightly say the decision is still "in Obama's hands."

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More News On Who Will Be The Next U.S. Secretary Of Defense

White House Search for Next Defense Secretary Continues -- Daily Political
Flournoy for SecDef: Ten reasons the president should ditch Chuck for Michèle. -- Rosa Brooks, Foreign Policy
The GOP Likes Michèle Flournoy for the Wrong Reasons, But She's the Right Choice -- Molly Redden, New Republic
As Hagel’s star withers, will a blunt-talking policy wonk drop her kids to take the Pentagon? -- Times of Israel
Cabinet nod could be next for Harvard’s Ashton Carter -- The Boston Globe
Republican senators were for Hagel, before they were against him -- Josh Rogin, The Cable/Foreign Policy
Chuck Hagel: Why his candidacy for Defense post is losing altitude -- Anna Mulrine, Christian Science Monitor

My Comment: Sen. Hagel's past comments have come to haunt him .... both Republicans and Democrats are going to oppose him but for different reasons. Michèle Flournoy does not want the job .... she has a family that she wants to be with, not in some committee room arguing with politicians over defense cuts. Ashton Carter is an interesting possibility .... he has the background on defense procurement and budgetary issues, but politically .... he is unknown.

Hmmmm .... maybe President Obama will be forced to ask Leon Panetta to stay on the job for another year or two. Unlikely .... but a possibility .... after-all .... that was the reason why Bill Gates stayed as Sec. of Defense for an additional few years .... no suitable replacement.

The White House Has Abandoned Chuck Hagel To Be The Next U.S. Secretary Of Defense

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Administration Abandoning Hagel -- Alana Goodman, MSNBC 

Politico’s Mike Allen reported on “Morning Joe” today that Chuck Hagel’s potential defense secretary nomination is on the rocks, after the administration realized there is “not a natural constituency for him.” Don’t ask why it took them that long to figure that one out: Allen names Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy as the new top two possibilities. Hagel supporters will blame the collapse of his bid on the Israel lobby because it’s an easy target, but it almost seemed like the White House was more concerned with the backlash from the gay community and liberal supporters.

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My Comment: I have been saying the same thing for the past week .... and now nicely summarized by this MSNBC discussion group.

Chuck Hagel Will Not Be The Next U.S. Secretary Of Defense

Photo: Ret. U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel. Wikipedia

Top Republican Senator Will Oppose Hagel Nomination -- Washington Post

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), the Republican whip, told me in a phone interview this morning he would oppose the nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense: “I can’t support a Hagel nomination if it comes,” he said. He is the first senator to expressly state he would oppose Hagel. He told me he thinks there would be substantial opposition to Hagel on both sides of the aisle. “I’ve heard prominent Democrats concerned about his position on Israel. Many Republican have said they did not want to prejudge. But it would be a bad move and one of the reasons I’ve taken the position [to oppose]. ‘Mr. President don’t do that. It would be a bad nomination.’”

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My Comment: After nominating John Kerry to be the next U.S. Secretary of State, I was surprised that there was no mention by the White House on of who was the nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense. I am now reading this story .... and if true it will probably explain why Chuck Hagel was not named today .... and if I was a betting man .... I will not be surprised if his named has now been been quietly dropped from the list.

Chuck Hagel For U.S. Secretary Of Defense?

Is A Republican The Frontrunner For Defense? -- CNN

Washington (CNN) - Former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel has met with both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, as the president considers tapping him to replace Leon Panetta as defense secretary, according to several knowledgeable sources.

Several sources familiar with the process say Hagel appears to have the inside track for the job. CNN has previously reported Hagel is on the short list of potential nominees. One Democratic source familiar with the process simply dubs Hagel "the frontrunner." Another Democrat with knowledge of the process calls Hagel’s nomination "almost a done deal." But according to an administration official, no decisions have been made.

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More News On Speculation That Former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel Is The Next US Secretary of Defense

The Secretary of Defense Cuts. Potential Obama nominee favors massive defense reductions -- Washington Free Beacon
Tapping Hagel for Obama Cabinet could raise Republican concerns -- The Hill
The Critique of Hagel. Experts worried about possible nomination of Chuck Hagel to defense secretary -- Washington Free Beacon
Obama to fill key posts in weeks, Hagel on Pentagon short list -- Reuters
Report: Republican Hagel Being Considered For Defense Secretary -- CBS
Who is Chuck Hagel, again? -- Foreign Policy

My Comment: He is exactly the type of person that President Obama wants in the Pentagon. Memo to the Pentagon .... be prepared for even bigger budget cuts.

Former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel The Next U.S. Secretary Of Defense?

Then US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) (L) smiles next to US Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) during a news conference at the Amman Citadel, an ancient Roman landmark, in Amman, Jordan, July 22, 2008. REUTERS/Ali Jarekji

Obama To Fill Key Posts In Weeks, Hagel On Pentagon Short List -- Reuters

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama is expected to announce his nominees for secretaries of state and defense in the next two weeks, with former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel on the short list of potential choices to head the Pentagon, senior administration officials said on Tuesday.

Hagel, whose appointment would give Obama's reshuffled second-term Cabinet a bipartisan cast, met the Democratic president at the White House this week to discuss a post on his national security team. But there was no sign that Obama had decided on any of the key nominations he will put forth.

Obama is still deliberating whether to unveil his top national security appointments, likely to include a new CIA director, in a single high-profile package this month or to name them one-by-one, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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Update: Obama to announce secretaries of state, defence nominees in two weeks -- News Tribe

My Comment: He would be a better choice (and less controversial) than this candidate.

U.S. Senator John Kerry Being Considered For U.S. Secretary Of Defense

Photo: U.S. Senator John Kerry

Obama Considering John Kerry For Job Of Defense Secretary -- Washington Post

President Obama is considering asking Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to serve as his next defense secretary, part of an extensive rearrangement of his national security team that will include a permanent replacement for former CIA director David H. Petraeus.

Although Kerry is thought to covet the job of secretary of state, senior administration officials familiar with the transition planning said that nomination will almost certainly go to Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

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More News On U.S. Senator John Kerry Being Considered For Secretary Of Defense

Secretary of Defense John Kerry? -- UPI
John Kerry 'is frontrunner for Defense Secretary job as Susan Rice set to replace Hillary as Secretary of State' -- Daily Mail
Kerry being eyed as secretary of defense, report says -- Boston Herald
John Kerry eyed as replacement for outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta: report -- New York Daily News

My Comment: The New York Times has a different take on John Kerry. What's my take .... as I had mentioned in previous posts, the White House wants someone who would be compliant to their policy of slashing the U.S. Defense budget .... if that is their criteria, then John Kerry would be the perfect person for that job.

Who Will Be The Next U.S. Defense Secretary?

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, brief the Pentagon press, Oct. 25, 2012. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett.

Re-Elected Obama Prepares To Replace Panetta -- DoD Buzz

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta opened the bidding Wednesday for a deal on Pentagon spending with the coming lameduck session of Congress and beyond that would clear the decks for President Obama to pick a successor from a growing list of potential candidates.

Panetta said that the military had stayed focused on its mission during the debates between Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney on strategy, policy and budgets for defense.

“Now that the campaign is over,” Panetta said in his message, “America’s leaders, in turn, now have the responsibility to do everything possible to ensure that we succeed in our mission.”

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Update #1: Inside the Ring: Panetta’s future -- Washington Times
Update #2: The next Sec Def: Will Obama choose change or stability? -- The Stars and Stripes

My Comment: This person's name is being branded around as Panetta's replacement. My prediction .... it will be a Democrat dove that will be selected, and this person's job will be to toe the White House policy of cutting the US Defense Department.

BREAKING: CIA Director Panetta To Be US Secretary of Defense, General Petraeus To Be CIA Director

General Petraeus and CIA Director Panetta. The Atlantic

CIA's Panetta To Head Pentagon, Petraeus To CIA -- Yahoo News/Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama plans to nominated CIA Director Leon Panetta as his new U.S. defense secretary and will replace him at the CIA with General David Petraeus, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

The announcements are expected later this week. Obama is also to nominate veteran diplomat Ryan Crocker as the next U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan.

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More News On Who The New CIA Director And Secretary Of Defense Will Be

Panetta, Petraeus, Allen, Crocker: President Obama Orders National Security Team Reshuffle -- ABC News
Petraeus and Panetta in Line for National Security Posts -- New York Times
Reports: Panetta will succeed Gates -- Seattle PI/Politico
Petraeus to lead CIA; Panetta moves to Pentagon -- AJC
Petraeus 'next head of CIA', Panetta to lead Pentagon -- BBC
Petraeus to head CIA, Panetta to lead Defense: reports -- AFP
AP sources: Obama likely to reunite veteran diplomat Ryan Crocker with Petraeus in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Panetta Will Run Pentagon; Petraeus to Lead CIA -- The Atlantic
Obama picks Panetta for defense, Petraeus for CIA -- CNN
Sources: Petraeus to be nominated to head CIA -- MSNBC

Who Are The Front Runners To Replace Robert Gates As Secretary Of Defense

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, left, signs the Afghan Defense Ministry welcome book as Afghanistan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak looks on in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 9, 2010. DoD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison

Who Will Fill Bob Gates' Pentagon Office? -- Time Magazine

Like Paul Bunyan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is going to do a lot of chopping as early as Thursday, when he's expected to detail $100 billion in new cuts to future Pentagon budgets. But some time after that, he's going to lay down his ax, leave his Pentagon E-ring office for the last time, and head west to his Washington state home overlooking Big Lake, some 50 miles north of Seattle. So just who's going to inherit his task of selling all that timber -- not to mention two wars -- to the White House, Congress and the American public?

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My Comment: My money is on John Hamre.

Secretary Of Defense Hillary Clinton?

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates look out over North Korea from Observation Point Ouellette during a tour at the Demilitarized Zone that separates South and North Korea, July 21, 2010. Defense Department photo by Cherie Cullen

Would Clinton Consider Defense Chief Job? -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Would Secretary of State Hillary Clinton consider swapping Cabinet hats to become the next U.S. defense secretary after Robert Gates leaves?

That was the question asked of both during a joint interview with ABC News while they were in Australia and aired on Tuesday on "Good Morning America."

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Update #1: Openings Give Obama Chance to Shape Military -- AolNews
Update #2: Pentagon Openings Give Obama Options -- New York Times

My Comment: The Secretary of Defense position is a political appointee who serves at the pleasure of the President .... but Secretary of Defense Clinton .... no way, that would be a gift from President Obama to his number one political opponent in the Democrat Party..

Sources: SecDef Race Focuses On Danzig

From Army Times:

President-elect Barack Obama is leaning toward making Richard Danzig, a former Navy secretary and one of his top defense advisers, the next U.S. defense secretary, according to sources.

“The Bush appointees are preparing to turn it over to [Danzig],” said a former Army official, citing conversations with high-level defense officials.

A second source close to the campaign’s planning process said that while no final decision has been made, “that definitely seems to be the direction we’re headed in.” How the shift from incumbent Robert Gates to Danzig would be carried out, the official said, has yet to be ironed out within the Obama camp.

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Sources: SecDef Race Focuses On Danzig

From The Military Times:

President-elect Barack Obama is leaning toward making Richard Danzig, a former Navy secretary and one of his top defense advisers, the next U.S. defense secretary, according to sources.

“The Bush appointees are preparing to turn it over to [Danzig],” said a former Army official, citing conversations with high-level defense officials.

A second source close to the campaign’s planning process said that while no final decision has been made, “that definitely seems to be the direction we’re headed in.” How the shift from incumbent Robert Gates to Danzig would be carried out, the official said, has yet to be ironed out within the Obama camp.

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In Praise Of Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense

President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, and Robert Gates

From the New York Post:

June 12, 2008 -- MIRACLES do happen: A Bush Cabinet officer has proven not only competent, but wise, honest, independent and courageous.

That man is Defense Secretary Robert Gates - who just may be the best SecDef this country has ever had.

If only he could stay on into the next administration, he might rival our greatest Secretary of War, Elihu Root, the crucial military reformer of the early 20th century.

Gates is just and deliberate, but he's wonderfully tough when it's time to make hard decisions. In his brief tenure - since Dec. 18, 2006 - he's stood up to each of the services when they deserved it.

Even more crucially (and dangerously), he's been willing to face down the plutocrats of the defense industry - the thugs in $3,000 suits who've robbed our military for decades, stealing your tax dollars.

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My Comment: A rather optimistic view on what one man can do in a massive bureaucracy. But all bureaucracies know that time is always on their side .... Gates will be gone in the next ten months .... so lets keep everything quiet until he is gone is their motto.

And they are right.