Pentagon Comptroller and Acting Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist appears to be on track for confirmation as DOD’s second-ranking civilian official even as the agency continues to face a number of top official vacancies, Federal News Network reported Thursday.
Norquist, who easily sailed through his Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week for the permanent deputy defense secretary role, is expected to easily win Senate confirmation while more than a dozen senior DOD vacancies remain and senators worked swiftly last week to advance nominees for top posts, according to the report.
The Pentagon’s third-ranking Chief Management Officer position is also without a permanent appointee, although earlier this month the White House nominated Deputy CMO Lisa Hershman to the role and she is now awaiting a confirmation hearing.
Still, more top vacancies at the Pentagon remain that require Senate approval, including the Army secretary and Air Force secretary roles.
Other notable vacancies are in DOD’s Personnel and Readiness office where there had previously been a confirmed undersecretary for the office until seven months ago when VA Secretary Robert Wilkie moved on to his new appointment.
The principal deputy undersecretary and assistant secretary for health affairs have also been vacant since the beginning of the new administration, according to the Federal News Network report.
DOD’s policy team also has a top vacancy with David Trachtenberg, principal deputy undersecretary for policy retiring last week.
During Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s first defense chief briefing with reporters Wednesday, he acknowledged there is work ahead to fill positions but noted that most of them are at least being handled by acting officials.
“But when you look at the top six – of the top six, four of them aren’t occupied by a confirmed person, and that’s what concerns me,” Esper said. “We’ve got to get stable leadership in to make sure that you have that civilian control of the military, the right people in place leading this organization,” he added.
DOD photo by Lisa Ferdinando