For months after President Trump’s inauguration, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was the only Senate-confirmed appointee from the new administration at the Pentagon.
But after a slow start, Trump’s Pentagon says key positions, including dozens of jobs that don’t require congressional confirmation, are being filled.
“It’s moving. It’s definitely moving much faster than it was,” said Dana White, assistant to the secretary for public affairs. “We’ve got a nice rhythm going now, we’ve got at least two-thirds of the Senate-appointed [positions] at least identified, or in process.”
Of the 57 Senate-confirmed positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, 43 have been recommended for hiring and in-processing, according to figures provided by Mattis’ office.
Still, of the top jobs, only five have confirmed appointees: Mattis; Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson; comptroller David Norquist; Kari Bingen, principal deputy undersecretary for intelligence; and Robert Karem, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.
Five more nominees were sent to the Hill this week for Senate hearings and confirmation: Patrick Shanahan to be deputy defense secretary, Richard V. Spencer for Navy secretary, Ryan McCarthy for undersecretary of the Army; Owen West for assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and Charles “Cully” Stimson for Navy general counsel.
The Pentagon is reportedly considering John Rood, a former National Security Council and State Department official in the George W. Bush administration, to be the next undersecretary of defense for policy, effectively the Pentagon’s No. 3. Ellen Lord, CEO of Textron Systems, would be the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, the Washington Post reported.
There is still no nominee for Army secretary, after Mark Green withdrew last month following questions about his views on Muslims and LGBT issues, and billionaire Vincent Viola dropped out earlier this year over concerns of detangling his finances to comply with government ethics rules.
But despite several initial nomination misfires, including Philip Bilden, who also withdrew as Navy secretary nominee over financial entanglements, White says the careful review process is one factor for the slow pace.
“It’s just been a longer process because we are hiring people for the next four, or more years,” White said. “It’s just been a very diligent, deliberate and thoughtful vetting of people.”
But White also points out that there are 238 political positions, and many high-level jobs like hers, that do not require Senate confirmation.
Of those 238 jobs, 44 have been filled and another 138 have candidates who have been recommended or undergoing in-processing.
One reason for the delay is that the Trump had to build a workforce from the ground up.
“I think people often forget that when people aspire to be president of the United States, they have lived a very long political career, and so they have built up networks, they have built up supporters, grass roots networks that they can then, when they become president, they can easily slot into some of these positions,” White said. “He didn’t have the same bench a career politician had.”
Trump also blames Congress for slow-rolling his nominees, tweeting that Democrats “are taking forever to approve my people, including Ambassadors. They are nothing but OBSTRUCTIONISTS!”
White said the Pentagon has a good relationship with Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., and that nominations sent to his committee have been handled expeditiously. White is a former committee staffer and was a foreign policy adviser for McCain.
Democrats say when it comes to filling jobs with qualified candidates, Trump can be his own worst enemy.
“If the president is looking for someone to blame on the slow pace of confirmations, he needs only to look in the mirror,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement this week.
Schumer argues the Senate confirmed Trump’s Cabinet nominees in a matter of a few days, and notes they are all now in office.
He faults the Trump administration for picking nominees with conflicts of interest and incomplete ethics agreements, resulting in delays or withdrawals.
“President Trump ought to roll up his sleeves and get to work rather than pointing false fingers of blame,” Schumer said.
