The Senate made its biggest move so far this year to fill empty appointee seats at the Pentagon with the Thursday confirmation this week of seven of President Trump’s picks, including a top management post and weapons buyer.
By voice vote, the Senate on Thursday approved John Gibson as the Pentagon’s new chief management officer, the building’s third most senior position. Will Roper, who previously headed the military’s efforts to field new technology, was also confirmed by voice vote as the Air Force’s assistant secretary charged with acquisition.
More than a year after Trump took office, 41 of the Pentagon’s 57 Senate-confirmed positions have been filled, despite Republican complaints that Democrats have slow-rolled nominees in the chamber and set the pace of confirmations slower than under past administrations.
The confirmations this week came after a lull in confirmations. Before this week’s votes, the Senate had approved just two of Trump’s Pentagon picks this year, an undersecretary for policy and Army assistant secretary.
Gibson fills the CMO position created two years ago by Congress’ armed services committees and championed by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to manage the Pentagon’s enterprise business operations. The National Defense Authorization Act passed in December gives Gibson the authority to direct the civilian secretaries of each military service and oversight of business-focused defense agencies and field activities.
The Senate had just confirmed Gibson as deputy CMO in November, but Trump re-nominated him for the higher position.
Before coming to the Pentagon, Gibson was CEO of XCOR Aerospace, the Texas-based developer of rocket engines and the Lynx suborbital space plane that hit hard times and laid off its employees after a defense contract fell through.
“It was messy, it was high-risk, as often many small companies are,” Gibson told the Senate in November.
Roper had a relatively fast-track confirmation after being nominated as acquisition chief last month. He will now be in charge of the Air Forces biggest purchases including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
During his confirmation hearing, Roper told senators he was worried about the long-term sustainment costs of the high-tech fifth-generation fighter jet, which already has the distinction of being the military’s most expensive acquisition program ever.
Roper previously headed up the secretive Strategic Capabilities Office since it was created in 2012 by former Defense Secretary Ash Carter to speed up technologically innovations.
The other five confirmed by voice Thursday were:
- Michael D. Griffin to be Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
- John Henderson to be an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force
- Phyllis L. Bayer to be an Assistant Secretary of the Navy
- Kevin Fahey to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense
- Thomas E. Ayres to be General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force
