{"id":34051,"date":"2020-03-03T00:13:46","date_gmt":"2020-03-03T00:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/03\/03\/james-anderson-to-be-nominated-as-deputy-undersecretary-for-policy\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:40:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:40:34","slug":"james-anderson-to-be-nominated-as-deputy-undersecretary-for-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2020\/03\/03\/james-anderson-to-be-nominated-as-deputy-undersecretary-for-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump makes Pentagon leadership picks official"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 President Donald Trump formally nominated Kenneth \u201cK.J.\u201d Braithwaite<\/a>, currently the ambassador to Norway, as Navy secretary<\/a> Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also made official was the nomination of Victor Mercado as assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities, replacing James Anderson, who Trump plans to nominate to be deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anderson, has been in the assistant secretary <\/a>role since August 2018, but performing as deputy USD-P since David Trachtenberg<\/a> retired in July. His profile was raised again on Feb. 19, when John Rood, the undersecretary for policy, was forced out, at which point Anderson began serving as the acting in that role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before joining the administration, Anderson served as Marine Corps University\u2019s vice president of academic affairs. Historically a proponent of investments in missile defense, Anderson authored the 1999 book<\/a> \u201cAmerica at Risk: The Citizen\u2019s Guide to Missile Defense,\u201d which details the risk of an attack from Russia, China or a \u201cthird-world\u201d power. From 1986 to 1989 he served in the Marines as an intelligence officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\t