What Happened
Pentagon Leadership Vacancies Spark Tension With Congress
The Trump administration’s nominees to lead US Southern Command and the National Security Agency and Cyber Command faced scrutiny from senators today. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Francis Donovan and Army Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd were hesitant to publicly disclose their approach to their new roles, but offered some insights into their priorities. Donovan emphasized the need to build and expand military relationships in the Western Hemisphere, while Rudd supported the dual-hatting of the NSA director and CYBERCOM head. The nominations come at a time of tension between the Pentagon and Congress, and internally within the Department of Defense. This was reported by Breaking Defense.