As President Trump reportedly searches for his next secretary of defense, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) has already thrown his pick into the ring: Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.
Rounds, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee’s cybersecurity subcommittee, first floated Wilson’s name in a Dec. 23 tweet, stating “As President Trump carefully weighs his next pick to lead @DeptofDefense, I strongly encourage him to look closely at Sec. Wilson.”
Wilson was sworn in as Air Force secretary in May 2017. Speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill Jan. 3, Rounds lauded Wilson’s past as a former president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, her experience on the Hill as a Republican congresswoman for New Mexico, and service in the Air Force and as service secretary. These factors “make her uniquely qualified for this vital role at a critical time in our history,” he said.
“She really does see the big picture, so I thought she would be an excellent choice,” he added. Rounds served as governor of South Dakota from 2003 to 2011, while Wilson served as president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
Former Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan was chosen to serve as acting secretary of defense effective Jan. 1, but he can only serve for 210 days under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. However, Military Times reported Friday that a Trump administration official said that the Pentagon and White House have determined Shanahan can serve “for an indefinite period, at the discretion of the president.” It remains to be seen whether Congress would allow that to occur.
Whomever Trump chooses for his replacement will require the president’s trust, and be able to pass through a Senate nomination process, Rounds said.
“It’s got to be someone who … he has either already appointed to a position that has proven to be a good leader, or it’s got to be someone that is also acceptable to a Republican Senate, as well,” he said.
Trump has not made any formal nominations for the post, and it is unclear whether he would choose to nominate Shanahan. “I have nothing against Mister Shanahan” being nominated for the job, Rounds noted.
The New York Times reported Thursday that Trump is also looking at Jim Webb for the next defense secretary. Webb, a decorated Marine Corps veteran, served as the Democratic senator for Virginia from 2007 to 2013, and has served in multiple Pentagon positions, including as secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan.
Trump refuted the story in a Friday tweet, saying “I’m sure he is a fine man, but I don’t know Jim, and never met him.” He added that Shanahan is doing “a great job” as acting defense secretary.
Rounds said Thursday that Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats may also be under consideration.
“I do think there’s several individuals whose names will be floated around that would be very acceptable,” he said.
As Air Force secretary, Wilson has been involved in shaping Trump’s desired Space Force. The White House originally called for a sixth military branch, “separate but equal” to the Air Force, but recent Pentagon documents reviewed by Defense Daily reveal that the latest plan would place the new force within the existing Air Force service (Defense Daily, Dec. 20).
Wilson reportedly entered the administration’s crosshairs when reports emerged this past September that the Air Force was estimating a new Space Force could cost up to $13 billion, a number that analysts considered to be wildly high.
Rounds does not believe Wilson’s perceived role as resisting Trump’s Space Force would affect a potential nomination, and instead lauded her efforts to work with Congress on the way forward for the Pentagon’s efforts in space.
“When I spoke with her, she was not in opposition to the Space Force,” he said. “As we do this, she’s got to be able to work with members of the House and Senate, who have had questions about where our priorities are.”
Rounds said Wilson “did a very nice job” of working to respect the direction from the executive branch while addressing lawmakers’ concerns of how a sixth military branch may add unnecessary bureaucracy.
“The fact that she was willing to take the heat for trying to make the plans and to have something set up before she jumped in in is not something to minimize in terms of her ability to do what she thinks is right,” he said.