President Barack Obama named Frank Kendall yesterday to formally take over as the Pentagon’s top official for acquisition, and nominated three others for senior defense positions.
Kendall has been acting in the role of undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics since Ashton Carter vacated the post in October to become deputy defense secretary. The four nominees are subject to Senate confirmation.
Kendall appears to face no opposition in the Senate with regard to his qualifications. “As far as I know there are no problems,” Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), told reporters. SASC must first green light the nomination before it goes to a full Senate vote.
Senate Republicans and Democrats, though, are currently battling over other presidential nominations, with the GOP holding up multiple candidates.
Obama also nominated James Miller to be undersecretary of defense for policy. Miller would replace Michele Flournoy, who announced her resignation in December. He has been serving as her principal deputy.
Obama appointed Erin Conaton to undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. Conaton, a former congressional staffer, is currently serving as Air Force undersecretary. Jessica Lynn Wright, the deputy assistant secretary for manpower and personnel, was tapped to become assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs.
Kendall had been serving as the principal deputy undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics since March 2010. A former Raytheon [RTN] executive and Army officer, Kendall has held several senior positions in the Pentagon during his career.
SASC has yet to schedule hearings for the nominees. Kendall could face some tough questions from senators as the Pentagon contemplates cuts or cancellations to various acquisition programs and tries to cope with a constrained budget environment.
He will likely be quizzed over the beleaguered F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, which has been hit with delays and cost overruns and is a frequent target on Capitol Hill. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the ranking member on SASC, is one of the biggest F-35 critics.
The Obama administration plans to roll out its fiscal 2013 budget proposal Feb. 13, after delaying release by a week to “finalize decisions and technical details of the document.”