Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said this week he wants President Trump to nominate a permanent secretary of defense and that he doesn’t think it should be Acting Secretary Patrick Shanahan. Inhofe’s remarks came during a roundtable with reporters, according to Military Times.
He said that Shanahan lacks the “humility” that former secretary James Mattis had and that a Senate-confirmed secretary will have more credibility.
“If you’re an acting, you don’t have the force you need in the office,” Inhofe said.
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson dodged a question on Politico’s Women Rule podcast about rumors she could be up for the job.
 
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan in Afghanistan this week. DOD photo by Lisa Ferdinando