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“We don’t take an oath to a religion. We don’t take an oath to a king, or queen, or tyrant, or dictator. And we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator,” Gen. Mark Milley said today.
Gen. Randy George and Gen. Eric Smith will now formally take over leadership of the Army and Marine Corps, respectively.
A breakthrough in a blockade on military confirmations came after the Senate’s top Democrat moved to hold individual votes for Brown, as well as Army and Marine Corps leaders.
“I’d go so far as say if you drive north of the National Cathedral on Connecticut Avenue, that popping sound you hear is not stray gunfire. It is champagne corks at the Chinese embassy bouncing off the walls,” Air Force Gen. Mark Kelly said.
Service officials hope that Congress will back Secretary Frank Kendall’s proposal to allow some new programs to begin early work, even if a continuing resolution is in place.
Slife will become the Air Force vice chief — if he can get past a confirmation blockade that has stalled out nominations in Congress.
With both versions of the NDAA complete, congressional leadership must now pick conferees for each chamber to sort out two vastly different defense policy bills.
Chollet is currently working in the State Department but has previous experience inside the Pentagon and the White House.
Beyond politics, the Air Force Secretary weighed in on key items in the defense budget, citing concerns about potential cuts to NGAD funding and unnecessary bumps to an alternate F-35 engine.
Air Force Gen. CQ Brown received praise for his career while fielding some culture war questions from Republicans, and separately indicated he would not work for a defense contractor after serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.