{"id":86838,"date":"2019-03-28T19:04:04","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T19:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/28\/when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:11:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:11:04","slug":"when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/03\/28\/when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary\/","title":{"rendered":"When will Trump nominate a permanent defense secretary?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 In the 70 years before 2019, the Department of Defense had never gone more than two months without a permanent leader. Now, President Donald Trump\u2019s administration is poised to double that wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The post formerly filled by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/12\/20\/mattis-out-defense-secretary-says-his-views-no-longer-aligned-with-trump\/\" target=_blank>Defense Secretary Jim Mattis<\/a> has been open since Jan. 1, a leadership void that has drawn increasing concern among lawmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/02\/16\/inhofe-says-hes-open-to-shanahan-for-permanent-defense-secretary\/\" target=_blank>Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe<\/a>, R-Okla., has pressed the Trump administration repeatedly for quicker action on the vacancy, and he was among lawmakers of both parties who expressed frustration this week that no solution appears to be in sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2019\/03\/28\/whats-the-state-of-play-for-a-defense-secretary-shanahan\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_19050716938208.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">What\u2019s the state of play for a \u2018Defense Secretary Shanahan\u2019?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Patrick Shanahan has been increasingly vocal about his belief that he is the right man to lead the Pentagon. But there are a few factors at play.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey are moving too slow, and I single out this nomination \u2014 who is secretary of defense \u2014 you\u2019ve got to have somebody who is perceived to be a permanent person,\u201d Inhofe said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re the secretary of defense, you\u2019re handling life or death issues for other countries. They have to be sure they are talking with someone in charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou\u2019re not in charge if you\u2019re acting, in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For weeks, rumors have swirled that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/03\/27\/gop-chairman-of-armed-services-panel-urges-white-house-to-fill-top-pentagon-post\/\" target=_blank>acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan<\/a> may be formally nominated to fill that vacancy, but that move now appears stalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The White House\u2019s delay in naming a new defense secretary nominee means the Pentagon is poised to pass the 90-day mark without a permanent leader next week. Even if a nominee is announced in coming days, that person likely won\u2019t be confirmed before Memorial Day, given the complexity of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the lack of a new defense secretary is further complicating the filling of other key Pentagon leadership posts, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2019\/03\/08\/air-force-secretary-wilson-resigning\/\" target=\"_blank\">Heather Wilson\u2019s replacement as Air Force secretary<\/a>. Along with Shanahan, the deputy defense secretary and chief management officer posts are also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2019\/01\/04\/the-top-three-pentagon-officials-are-acting-in-their-jobs-does-that-matter\/\" target=\"_blank\">currently manned by acting officials<\/a>, and multiple undersecretary of defense and assistant secretary of defense posts have similar placeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inhofe said he heard concerns about the leadership vacuum from world leaders at an international security conference in Germany last month. World leaders see someone in an acting role, \u201cas someone who they\u2019re not sure they have to listen to,\u201d said the Senate Foreign Relations Committee\u2019s top Democrat, Sen. Bob Menendez, of New Jersey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee said they, too, worry about the message being sent by the administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI would have liked to have seen a secdef by now, a permanent secdef, \u201c said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and chairwoman of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. \u201cI think it\u2019s an important signal to send to our friend and allies, and our adversaries, that we take this seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2019\/03\/27\/shanahan-pushes-reprogramming-through-expects-consequences-from-house\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19073574545452.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">\u2018There are going to be consequences\u2019: Shanahan prepares for congressional pushback to reprogrammed funds<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Pentagon expects to be stripped of a key fiscal authority.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lack of a Senate-confirmed leader can be a problem inside the Pentagon, said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and chairman of the SASC Personnel Subcommittee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s credibility, it\u2019s commitment, it\u2019s an affirmation that the Congress is behind the leader of the agency,\u201d Tillis said. \u201c(The acting defense secretary) has a lot of the authorities, but it still means something to the people in the DoD.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this week, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2018\/12\/26\/new-hasc-chairman-rips-trump-over-mattis-firing\/\" target=_blank>House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith<\/a>, D-Wash., joked that Shanahan is poised to become \u201cacting chairman for life\u201d if the Trump administration fails to move ahead with finding a permanent replacement for Mattis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the quip underscores real concerns from lawmakers as they enter one of the most contentious defense budget fights in years, but without the proper Pentagon leadership in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shanahan, who served as Mattis\u2019 second-in-command and has handled day-to-day operations for the department since Mattis\u2019 departure, has been to Capitol Hill twice this month to defend Trump\u2019s plan for a $750 billion defense budget in fiscal 2020, and had his unclear leadership status broached both times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inhofe has said he is \u201cfine with our current acting secretary,\u201d but also said that if Shanahan isn\u2019t the president\u2019s pick, Trump needs to move on already.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2019\/03\/20\/ig-launches-investigation-into-shanahan-over-alleged-boeing-bias\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Year_Photos9_F35.jpg_1a47e8.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">A government watchdog is investigating Trump\u2019s defense secretary. Here\u2019s why.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The acting defense secretary is under scrutiny for disparaging comments he reportedly made about Lockheed Martin while serving in an official role.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe president needs to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/02\/27\/the-precarious-perch-of-a-potential-pentagon-chief\/\" target=_blank>make up his mind<\/a>, send the message and whatever his decision is, it should be followed,\u201d Inhofe said. \u201cIn the meantime, there has to be somebody out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inhofe said he has heard two other credible candidates floated, but would not identify them. Several Democrats have said they want a defense secretary like Mattis \u2014 known not only for his gravitas but also as a check on the president \u2014 but Inhofe suggested that may be an unattainable wish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have to say that I can\u2019t think of a higher bar (than Mattis),\u201d Inhofe said. \u201cWe need to get someone who knows the job and is willing to do it. Right now, that\u2019s one of the major considerations. There are a lot of people who don\u2019t want to subject themselves to getting into this tough position, when there\u2019s been so much controversy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., echoed Inhofe\u2019s call for prompt action on the post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have to get a nomination from the president sooner rather than later because an acting status, regardless of who\u2019s there, is not as effective in the department as a confirmed secretary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnyone who\u2019s in an acting capacity, people are wondering, \u2018Will he be the nominee?\u2019 And then, \u2018Should we follow through with this initiative \u2014 if it\u2019s the personal initiative of this individual \u2014 and how much energy should we put into it?\u2019 That\u2019s natural in any organization: \u2018You\u2019re acting? That\u2019s nice, somebody\u2019s coming after you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/03\/27\/mattis-aide-promises-tell-all-book-about-the-former-defense-secretarys-time-with-trump\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4852067.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Mattis aide promises tell-all book about the former defense secretary\u2019s time with Trump<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Mattis&#039; speechwriter is promising an inside look at his relationship with Trump and his time leading the Penatgon.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the president were to nominate Shanahan in coming days \u2014 a situation Inhofe has said recently is doubtful, given the past delays \u2014 there\u2019s little evidence his time in the job would ensure an easy confirmation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reed and other Democrats felt the administration cannot in good conscience name Shanahan while he is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/03\/20\/ig-launches-investigation-into-shanahan-over-alleged-boeing-bias\/\" target=\"_blank\">under investigation<\/a> by the Department of Defense Inspector General. Last week, the watchdog agency launched a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2019\/03\/22\/shanahan-ethics-agreement-released-in-wake-of-department-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\">probe<\/a> into reports that Shanahan disparaged competing defense companies to the potential benefit of his former firm, Boeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI would think the president would want to know the outcome of that investigation before he is nominated,\u201d Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. \u201cThere are a lot of very able people who could be secretary of defense, and the administration may choose one of them instead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ernst said she likes Shanahan \u201cbut I would want to go back and vet again. Being the secretary of defense comes with some crucial decision making, and especially when it comes to contracts, I want to make sure that everything is good to go.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pentagon has never before gone more than two months without a permanent leader. Now, the Trump administration is about to double that wait.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":59892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":68,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,23,93,12,25,68],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3380,3334],"class_list":["post-86838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"7Q64MKN7MRAV7DYY36C6GMNDZY","arc_canonical_url":"\/congress\/2019\/03\/28\/when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>When will Trump nominate a permanent defense secretary? - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Pentagon has never before gone more than two months without a permanent leader. 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Now, the Trump administration is about to double that wait.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/03\/28\/when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-28T19:04:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T00:11:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joe Gould, Leo Shane III\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joe Gould, Leo Shane III\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/28\\\/when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/28\\\/when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"When will Trump nominate a permanent defense secretary?\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-03-28T19:04:04+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:11:04+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/28\\\/when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1092,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/28\\\/when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-979520684.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/28\\\/when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/28\\\/when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/28\\\/when-will-trump-nominate-a-permanent-defense-secretary\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"When will Trump nominate a permanent defense secretary? 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