President Trump’s choice for the top civilian post in the Army continues a troubling trend of staffing the Pentagon with defense industry executives, according to a top Republican senator.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t reiterate my concerns about the number of nominees from defense industry filling out the leadership ranks at the Department of Defense,” Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., said during a hearing Thursday.
McCain directed that criticism specifically at Raytheon vice president Mark Esper, who, if confirmed, would move from one of the top defense American defense contractors to serve as secretary of the Army under Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. McCain has complained that populating Pentagon leadership with executives could put “the fox … back into the henhouse.”
Esper, who has pledged to recuse himself from all matters related to his former company, sought to blunt that criticism by touting his career as an Army officer.
“From my first day as a cadet at West Point until my retirement, I wore an Army uniform for over 25 years,” he told the committee in his opening statement. “I was privileged to serve in some of the best active and Guard infantry units, attend the Army’s top training and leadership schools, and serve on three separate continents in defense of our country. I understand the challenges of military service, the importance of readiness, the rigors of wartime deployment, and how it all impacts our soldiers and their families.”
McCain emphasized that his complaint about Esper wasn’t personal. “My reservations grew out of early consultations I had with the administration about potential nominees, including yours and a handful of others that were yet to be nominated,’ he said. “It was then that I decided I couldn’t support further nominees with that background beyond those we had already discussed.”
Nevertheless, he predicted the committee would advance their nominations quickly, and he sought to set a tone for the relationship. Esper has waited two months for a hearing, an experience that McCain suggested should inspire him to be cooperative with congressional overseers.
“The reason why these nominations have not been acted on as rapidly as possible is because of failures of communication between this committee and the Pentagon,” McCain said. “We expect from you not only communication but cooperation. … That is something that is our constitutional responsibility and I hope that you appreciate it.”
