{"id":25246,"date":"2019-07-09T17:10:26","date_gmt":"2019-07-09T17:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/09\/army-navy-face-big-shake-up-on-the-road-to-confirming-the-next-secdef\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:10:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:10:33","slug":"army-navy-face-big-shake-up-on-the-road-to-confirming-the-next-secdef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2019\/07\/09\/army-navy-face-big-shake-up-on-the-road-to-confirming-the-next-secdef\/","title":{"rendered":"Army, Navy face big shake-up on the road to confirming the next SECDEF"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The clock is ticking. The Pentagon has until the end of this month to get a secretary confirmed before Congress and the White House get involved with the Defense Department\u2019s long-vacant top job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following former Defense Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/12\/20\/mattis-out-defense-secretary-says-his-views-no-longer-aligned-with-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\">James Mattis\u2019s<\/a> resignation last year, and the June nomination withdrawal of his no. 2, former Deputy Defense Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/06\/18\/shanahan-out-acting-defense-secretary-withdraws-his-confirmation-bid\/\" target=\"_blank\">Patrick Shanahan<\/a>, top defense officials are putting together contingencies for keeping leadership in place at the department after multiple setbacks. Best case scenario: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2019\/06\/22\/trump-announces-intent-to-nominate-esper-norquist-and-mccarthy-to-top-posts\/\" target=\"_blank\">Acting Defense Secretary Mark Espe<\/a>r, who had been serving as Army secretary since late 2017, gets a confirmation hearing and a Senate vote in the next couple of weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur expectation is that\u2019ll be shortly,\u201d a defense official told reporters on background Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2100\" height=\"1500\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SECNAV-SPENCER-1.jpg-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46518\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SECNAV-SPENCER-1.jpg-1.jpg 2100w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SECNAV-SPENCER-1.jpg-1.jpg?resize=300,214 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SECNAV-SPENCER-1.jpg-1.jpg?resize=768,549 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SECNAV-SPENCER-1.jpg-1.jpg?resize=1024,731 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SECNAV-SPENCER-1.jpg-1.jpg?resize=1536,1097 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SECNAV-SPENCER-1.jpg-1.jpg?resize=2048,1463 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2100px) 100vw, 2100px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Navy Secretary Richard Spencer warned Wednesday that potential defense budget cuts could harm the Navy&#8217;s readiness recovery efforts. He is shown here in Japan visiting with sailors aboard the 7th Fleet flagship Blue Ridge in July.  (U.S. Navy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under federal law, Esper cannot be considered for the Pentagon\u2019s top job while he serves in the \u201cacting\u201d role, so the plan is to send him back to the Army after the Senate announces they have received his nomination for SECDEF. Then current Navy Secretary Richard Spencer will step into the acting role during the confirmation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWithin the last two weeks, we\u2019ve been spending time with Secretary Spencer, to get him ready,\u201d SECDEF chief of staff Eric Chewning told reporters.<\/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\/06\/19\/mark-esper-is-acting-defense-secretary-will-trump-make-it-permanent\/\" 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\/5290615.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\">Mark Esper is acting defense secretary. Will Trump make it permanent?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Federal rules limit how long he can serve in the temporary role, but Trump may nominated him for the permanent post.<\/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\">As a service secretary, Spencer is familiar with the manning, training and equipping side of the job, but he \u201chas not been exposed to the range of operational issues that the secretary of defense is responsible for,\u201d Chewning added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, in the services, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2019\/06\/27\/army-leadership-shakeup-shouldnt-impact-troops-and-priorities\/\" target=_blank>Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy<\/a> has been \u201cperforming of the duties of the Army secretary\u201d since Esper took office on June 24, and Army general counsel has been performing the duties of the undersecretary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McCarthy will go back to the undersecretary job while Esper awaits confirmation, then back to the acting role while he waits on a nomination to become the Army secretary proper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019ll be a similar case in the Navy. While Spencer moves to the acting SECDEF role, Navy Undersecretary Thomas Modly will temporarily fleet up to fill in for him in the \u201cperforming the duties of\u201d role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And in the office of the defense secretary, current Pentagon comptroller David Norquist will continue to serve as acting SECDEF while Esper awaits confirmation, then step down and be replaced by another senior official while he awaits his own nomination, for confirmed deputy SECDEF.<\/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\/06\/18\/five-names-to-watch-as-trump-searches-for-his-next-defense-secretary\/\" 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=\"214\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5414601.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\">Five names to watch as Trump searches for his next defense secretary<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">With Patrick Shanahan out of the process, who will the president tap to lead the Pentagon?<\/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\">Practically, all of the officials in place have the same authorities they would have if they were serving in the role as confirmed nominees, the defense official said. Any policy changes, or operational moves, are theirs to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reason for all of this careful maneuvering is somewhat complicated: An official cannot be nominated for a role while they are currently serving as the \u201cacting,\u201d unless they were already the no. 2 in that organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why Shanahan could be acting SECDEF during his nomination process. And you can\u2019t call someone \u201cacting\u201d if there is technically already a confirmed official in that role, which is why McCarthy is \u201cperforming the duties of Army secretary,\u201d and not serving as the acting Army secretary, as he did for much of 2017, while the service waited for a nomination to the top spot to come through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re also going to brief our allies and partners to ensure a smooth transition,\u201d Chewning said, in addition to releasing memos to the force with updates on the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Esper\u2019s nomination is still pending by the end of the month, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 dictates that the comptroller general of the U.S. report the ongoing vacancy to the congressional armed services committees, the president and the Office of Personnel Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are plans in place for that contingency, the defense official said, but would not elaborate on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is some precedent to show that the White House and Congress can work together for a quick turnaround.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates was nominated and confirmed in three days following the late 2006 resignation of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and it took less than a week to nominate and confirm former Defense Secretary William Perry in 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe will not presume confirmation,\u201d Chewning said. \u201cThe minute the nomination goes to the Senate, it\u2019s the Senate\u2019s prerogative to take as long as they need to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Congress\u2019 schedule is already jam-packed this month before it takes off for August recess, so if there\u2019s no hearing this month, not only is DoD in violation of federal law, it could be at least another month of top Pentagon leadership serving in \u201cacting\u201d or \u201cperforming the duties of\u201d capacities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esper has been preparing for his Senate Armed Services Committee, the official said. He is also working under the ethics agreement he signed as Army secretary in 2017, recusing himself from any DoD deals with Raytheon, where he used to be an executive. A new ethics agreement, with that stipulation, will be drawn up if he is confirmed as SECDEF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If they reject Esper\u2019s nomination, or it is withdrawn, the 210-clock starts over. Whether he would go back to his Army secretary role hasn\u2019t been determined, the official said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Both the Army and Navy secretaries are expected to fill the Pentagon&#8217;s top role in the coming weeks. Or months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":44167,"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":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,36,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3356],"class_list":["post-25246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"HZRASLJY7FDLRKLVPTNZK5OPJQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2019\/07\/09\/army-navy-face-big-shake-up-on-the-road-to-confirming-the-next-secdef\/","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>Army, Navy face big shake-up on the road to confirming the next SECDEF - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Both the Army and Navy secretaries are expected to fill the Pentagon&#039;s top role in the coming weeks. 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