Air Force Magazine – July-August 2019

    JULY/AUGUST  AIRFORCEMAG.COM

Amid major challenges, such as a septic military confrontation
with Iran, continuing congressional debate over creating a new
Space Force, and US steps to eject Turkey from the F-35 program
over that country’s insistence on buying a Russian air-defense
system, the Pentagon leadership was substantially reshu led in
June. The result is a slate of fresh players stepping in when these
issues were all clearly far short of resolution.
Starting at the top, Patrick M. Shanahan, who in May was
nominated by President Donald J. Trump to be Secretary of De-
fense—after half a year in an “acting” capacity—abruptly withdrew
his nomination in mid-June and resigned as deputy after news
surfaced about domestic violence charges involving his ex-wife
and one of his children.
Mark T. Esper, Secretary of the Army, was nominated to be De-
fense Secretary, after assuming the duties of “acting” defense chief.
Throughout his tenure as deputy and then as Acting Defense
Secretary, Shanahan’s 30-year career at Boeing compelled him to
recuse himself from Pentagon decisions a ecting that company.
Boeing’s win of a string of big-ticket contracts during Shanahan’s
term—as well as the inclusion of Boeing F-15EX fighters in the
2020 defense budget request, despite Air Force resistance—cast
a shadow on his impartiality.
Shanahan was the longest-serving Acting Defense Secretary
in history. Taking over from Jim Mattis in January, he eclipsed the
60-day tenure of William Howard Taft IV in acting status by March
1, but that status continued until his sudden departure in late June.
The lack of a permanent, confirmed Secretary increasingly ag-
itated lawmakers, especially given the US’ involvement in armed
conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan, engagement in a tense military
showdown with Iran, and fraught negotiations with North Korea
over its nuclear weapons program. Senate Armed Services Chair
Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) suggested in early June that the
long delay in Shanahan’s nomination was beginning to smack of
a lack of confidence. “You need Senate-confirmed people of ability
and competence in leadership,” said Sen. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) on
June 26. “You can’t have a government of actings or vacant o ices,
and that’s sadly what we increasingly have. And our tolerance for
that should be zero.”

ESPER, THE ARMY, AND RAYTHEON
Shanahan came to the Pentagon with no uniformed military
experience, but Esper is a combat veteran. A 1986 West Point
graduate, Esper was an infantry leader in the 1991 Gulf War, served
in the Army Reserve and National Guard, and later worked on
Capitol Hill as a military matters sta er supporting members such
as former Republican Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee. He also
worked military issues at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative
think tank, and later as a lobbyist for Raytheon, where he was vice
president for government relations.
Promising that Esper “is going to be outstanding, and we look
forward to working with him for a long time to come,” President
Trump nominated him formally June 21.

While Shanahan was legally able to fill in as SecDef because

he was already the deputy, under the 1998 Vacancies Reform

Act, Esper’s nomination precluded him from acting as SecDef

until he is confirmed, and he was obliged to resign as Army

Secretary.

Esper faces a similar conflict-of-interest problem with Raytheon

as Shanahan’s with Boeing. Like Shanahan, he may have to recuse

himself from Pentagon decisions involving his former employer. Not

only was Esper heavily involved with one of Raytheon’s signature

products—the Patriot air defense system—but Raytheon is also now

seeking Pentagon approval to merge with United Technologies

Corp.; a green light would make the new company the nation’s

second-largest defense contractor.

Shanahan was no fan of meeting with the press, but Esper, as

Army Secretary, made it a point to engage with the media at least

quarterly and issued orders to Army public a airs that he wanted

Shake-ups Leave DOD With Space

Disarray, Army-Centric Leadership

By John A. Tirpak

STRATEGY & POLICY

Photos: DOD (1,9) ; Monica King/USA (2,4,7); State Department; Sgt. Amber Smith/USA; USAF; Sun Vega/DOD; Andy Morataya/USAF; USA (11,12)

Shank: Fired

from SCO;

oice moved

to DARPA

Norquist:

From

comptroller

to DepSecDef

Shanahan:

Withdrew

nomination

for SecDef

Tournear:

Took over SDA

and kept his

R&E post

Gen. Hyten:

From

StratCom Vice

Chairman, JCS

Esper: From

SecArmy to

SecDef

Gen.

McConville:

Becomes

Army Chief

Kennedy:

Pushed out

of space

architect role

Barrett:

Nominated for

SecAF

McCarthy:

From Under

Sec. to

SecArmy

Stopher:

Stepping

down as USAF

space adviser

Gen. Milley:

From Army

Chief to JCS

Chairman