{"id":20000,"date":"2018-09-05T16:24:33","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T16:24:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/09\/05\/inhofe-takes-over-as-new-senate-armed-services-chairman\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:33:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:33:40","slug":"inhofe-takes-over-as-new-senate-armed-services-chairman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2018\/09\/05\/inhofe-takes-over-as-new-senate-armed-services-chairman\/","title":{"rendered":"Inhofe takes over as new Senate Armed Services chairman"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Sen. Jim Inhofe has been the face of the Senate Armed Services Committee for the last nine months. Now he will officially lead it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the 83-year-old Inhofe, R-Okla., as the new chairman of the committee on Wednesday, formally recognizing him as the chamber\u2019s top voice on military and defense policy issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inhofe has led the panel as acting chairman since its previous chairman, Sen. John McCain, who died last month, went home last year to receive treatment for brain cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During that time, Inhofe wielded significant influence over the annual defense authorization bill process, although he frequently noted that McCain was still acting as the senior committee leader from afar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A land developer before he was elected to the House in 1986, Inhofe served eight years on the House Armed Services Committee and the last 23 on the Senate counterpart, including as its ranking member from 2013 to 2015.<\/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\/congress\/2018\/01\/26\/inhofe-mccain-calling-the-shots-away-from-washington\/\" 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\/GettyImages-516150230.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\">Inhofe: McCain \u2018calling the shots\u2019 away from Washington<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Sen. Jim Inhofe may be the one running the Senate Armed Services Committee&#039;s hearings and answering reporters\u2019 questions. But he insists Chairman John McCain is still in charge.<\/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\">In a statement, Inhofe called the chairmanship an honor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAmerica is facing new and unprecedented threats that are different from anything we\u2019ve seen before,&#8221; he said. \u201cAs chairman, it will be my priority to address these threats while maintaining a staunch commitment to service members and their families, as well as continue the bipartisan tradition of rigorous accountability and oversight of the Defense Department.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inhofe has not been averse to saber rattling \u2014 calling for the deployment of fighter jets and warships to Europe in response to reports of Russia invading Ukraine \u2014 or blasting a flailing program, of which he has seen many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At one hearing in 2017, while grilling Navy officials over the littoral combat ship\u2019s delays and cost overruns, Inhofe lamented failures that includes the B-1 and B-2 bombers, the Army\u2019s aborted Future Combat Systems, and today\u2019s F-35 Lightning II and guided-missile destroyer Zumwalt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re always talking about cost overruns, we\u2019re talking about increased costs and delays,\u201d Inhofe said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the Navy. It\u2019s a problem, it\u2019s all over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McConnell praised Inhofe, an Army veteran, as the right choice to take over the key committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJim Inhofe filled in for Sen. McCain during a difficult year,\u201d he said Wednesday. &#8220;He rose to the occasion and helped lead the committee in passing crucial legislation that honored the example of his predecessor and the volunteers who defend our nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe possesses rich experience on the committee, including decades of work on behalf of American service members as well as his own military service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>A reliable conservative<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, U.S. weapon makers have reason to feel good about Inhofe\u2019s ascendancy to SASC chairman. Inhofe has repeatedly voiced opposition to statutory budget caps, hailed the $716 billion allotted to national defense for 2019, and argued for action to shore up the U.S. military\u2019s edge against Russia and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re glad we got to the point where we can give the top priority to defending our nation, as it should have always been,\u201d Inhofe said of the 2019 defense policy bill in a June floor speech. \u201cAll the time that we have been held back over the last 10 years, our peer competition, Russia and China, they haven\u2019t held back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Known as an arch-conservative, Inhofe has a 96 percent lifetime ranking from the American Conservative Union and has been a partisan warrior on national security issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like McCain, Inhofe fought <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inhofe.senate.gov\/newsroom\/speech\/obama-defense-budget-from-supremacy-to-adequacy\" target=_blank>against Obama\u2019s defense budgets<\/a> as hindering military readiness and modernization. As far back as 2009, Inhofe spoke against the military ignoring Russia and the North Korean nuclear threat to refocus on lower-tier foes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Jim Mattis\u2019 confirmation hearing for defense secretary, Inhofe argued the Air Force was at its \u201csmallest and oldest,\u201d that only a third of Army brigades were ready to fight, that the Navy fleet was too small and that Marine aviator flight times were at historic lows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inhofe has a long history of social conservatism, including his support of President Donald Trump\u2019s ban on transgender people from serving in the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the Pentagon allowed gay people to openly serve in the military, Inhofe in 2013 criticized the Obama administration for providing special leave for gay military personnel, analogizing it as using the military &#8220;as their activism arm for their liberal social agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inhofe\u2019s relationship with Trump has been less contentious than McCain\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before Trump won the presidency, Inhofe was invited to Trump Tower as part of a national security advisory council. Since then, Inhofe has praised Trump\u2019s Afghanistan strategy, his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While acting chairman, Inhofe has largely been deferential to Trump administration witnesses. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2018\/08\/21\/pentagon-us-army-nominees-cruise-through-hearing\/\" target=_blank>recently told one panel of Trump\u2019s nominees<\/a> to the Pentagon: \u201cIt\u2019s a great team. I\u2019m just very proud. I\u2019ve never seen a panel of more qualified people.\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\/congress\/2018\/08\/31\/with-mccain-gone-who-will-watch-the-pentagon\/\" 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\/635930341026118921-gettyimages-514302726jpg.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\">With McCain gone, who will watch the Pentagon?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">McCain&#039;s death leaves oversight void.<\/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\"><b>New policy priorities<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inhofe\u2019s Senate floor eulogy last week paid tribute to McCain, but also noted their differences. He sided against McCain\u2019s unsuccessful efforts to privatize military commissaries and trigger a new Base Closure and Realignment Commission process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/federal-budget\/2018\/02\/12\/budget-boost-in-hand-pentagon-skips-cost-saving-base-closure-request\/\" target=\"_blank\">In opposing the BRAC round<\/a>, Inhofe cited the upfront costs and questioned the wisdom of shuttering facilities \u201cwe may be needing as we are rebuilding\u201d the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That position puts him on a collision course with Democrats, who have advocated it as a cost-saving measure, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2018\/03\/02\/despite-skipping-brac-request-pentagon-should-still-cut-infrastructure-costs-says-reed\/\" target=\"_blank\">SASC ranking member Jack Reed<\/a>, D-R.I., and House Armed Services Committee ranking member Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats have made no secret they hope to ride anti-Trump sentiment to take control of the House. If they succeed, Inhofe would face a situation McCain never had to in negotiations over the annual defense authorization bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2018\/04\/09\/inhofe-wants-new-adviser-brigade-in-africa\/\" target=_blank>Africa will likely be a topic<\/a> under discussion in the SASC, as Inhofe has taken more than 140 trips to Africa over about 20 years, and he had a hand in creating U.S. Africa Command. This year alone, he has vocally opposed shrinking U.S. military operations there after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2018\/05\/08\/did-military-hid-niger-mission-from-congress-key-senator-asks\/\" target=_blank>a disastrous Niger raid <\/a>and called on Army leaders to assign new adviser brigades to Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you pull back from operations in Africa, you\u2019re going to have a massive terrorist transition going down through Djibouti,\u201d Inhofe said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to go where there\u2019s least resistance, and there\u2019s a history of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inhofe is a proud defender of defense activities in his own state, particularly Fort Sill, home the Army\u2019s artillery school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the $11 billion Oklahoma-produced Crusader was canceled in 2002, Inhofe fought in vain to preserve it. It was to be the Army\u2019s next-generation self-propelled howitzer, initially designed to destroy Soviet tanks in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Leo Shane III contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Oklahoma Republican takes over the role \u2014 and a host of new responsibilities \u2014 from the late Sen. John McCain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":42990,"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":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[8,160,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3446],"class_list":["post-20000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"HU3ZWXWVVVHS7EOFQ2KO5B2L4Q","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/09\/05\/inhofe-takes-over-as-new-senate-armed-services-chairman\/","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>Inhofe takes over as new Senate Armed Services chairman - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Oklahoma Republican takes over the role \u2014 and a host of new responsibilities \u2014 from the late Sen. 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