The Biden administration is nominating a new Pentagon policy chief — filling the No. 3 position in the Department of Defense — despite a standoff with GOP lawmakers over defense nominees.
The Washington Post, citing unnamed officials, on Tuesday reported the administration has tapped Derek Chollet — counselor to Secretary of State Antony Blinken — to be undersecretary of defense for policy.
However, President Joe Biden's nomination comes amid a stall in approval of hundreds of nominees in the Senate, including his pick to head the Marine Corps, the Washington Post reported.
According to the Post, if the impasse continues, it could eventually stall filling the military's most senior position, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Alabama GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is holding up nominations in protest of an administration policy that enables the Pentagon to reimburse service members for travel to access abortions and other reproductive care in states where it's legal.
It is not clear if the impasse will be resolved before it affects Chollet, the news outlet reported. He is expected to remain in his State Department role until he is confirmed.
Chollet often traveled with Obama administration Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on foreign trips, providing input on the U.S. response to issues including China's military rise and that of the Islamic State, the news outlet reported.
Hagel, a onetime GOP senator from Nebraska, has praised the fellow Nebraska resident for his expertise and modesty — portraying him as someone who "gets along with people."
Current and former officials stress the centrality of the undersecretary of defense for policy position, which oversees a sprawling network of regional and topical offices and several agencies.
"There's nothing that doesn't eventually land, or initially come out of, that office that DoD does," Hagel told the Post. "That's strategy, that's implementation, that's everything. … And that's why every secretary really relies on that undersecretary and his or her team."
Colin Kahl, who held the position until he stepped down this month, left his onetime deputy Sasha Baker to serve on an interim basis.
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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