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President-elect Trump on Sunday night unveiled several new nominees for top Pentagon posts, including his pick for the Defense Department’s No. 2 civilian.
In a Social publication of the truthTrump said he was appointing an “America First Patriots slate” to work with his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, including investor Stephen Feinberg as the next deputy defense secretary.
Feinberg would “help make the Pentagon great again,” Trump wrote, adding that the “extremely successful businessman” graduated from Princeton University before founding the investment firm Cerberus Capital Management in 1992.
A billionaire who supported Trump’s presidential campaign, Feinberg is currently the co-CEO of Cerberus. During Trump’s first term, he served as head of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, which provides the commander in chief with independent advice on the effectiveness of the intelligence community.
The deputy secretary’s main job is to handle day-to-day operations, manage the Pentagon’s budget, and work with the defense industry on programs and innovation.
Feinberg’s nomination is expected to face scrutiny on Capitol Hill because of his lack of experience running one of Washington’s largest agencies, which oversees about 3 million military and civilian personnel, as well such as conflict of interest issues due to Cerberus’ investment in defense companies working on hypersonics. missiles
During several more Truth Social posts on Sunday, Trump named Elbridge “Bridge” Colby as Under Secretary for Policy, Michael Duffey as Under Secretary for Acquisition and Maintenance, Emil Michael as Under Secretary for Research and Engineering, Keith Bass as Under Secretary of health matters. , and Joe Kasper as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense.
Trump called Colby, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development in his last administration, a “highly respected advocate for our America First foreign and defense policy.”
“Bridge will work closely with my outstanding Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to restore our military power and achieve my policy of PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump said, noting that Colby graduated from Harvard University and the Yale Law School.
Elbridge is notable for being the primary architect of the 2018 National Defense Strategy, a document that called for a much greater emphasis on deterring and defeating China. He has also spoken out to pressure Taiwan to spend more on its defenses.
Duffey, meanwhile, served in the Office of Management and Budget during Trump’s first term and was in the center of the effort to freeze $250 million in military aid to Ukraine after Trump phoned President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate President Biden’s family. Duffey asked the Pentagon to suspend aid after the call, which led to Trump’s first impeachment.
“Mike will drive change at the Pentagon and, as a strong advocate for an America First approach to our National Defense, will work to revitalize our Defense Industrial Base and rebuild our Army,” Trump said of Duffey.
Michael, a former executive at ride-sharing company Uber, helped the business raise billions of dollars from investors but faced scandal in 2014 after allegedly supported hiring opposition investigators to target journalists who wrote articles critical of the company.
He finally left Uber in 2017, after reports emerged who visited an escort business in South Korea during a business trip.
Trump said Michael would “ensure our military has the most technologically sophisticated weapons in the world, while saving a LOT of money for our taxpayers,” noting that he graduated from Harvard University and Stanford Law School.
And Bass, a retired Navy commander for assistant secretary of health affairs, “will make sure our troops are healthy and receive the best medical care possible,” Trump said.
Trump pointed to Bass’ more than 30 years of experience in health care, including work with DOD medical departments, the CIA and the White House.
