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After Trump, Congress could chafe at retired officers leading the Pentagon
While stressing that he was not commenting on the ability of any potential nominees, Arnold Punaro, a former SASC staff director and retired Marine Corps general officer, called the path to an Inauguration Day swearing-in “highly problematic,” because there is not...

What President Biden won’t touch
Or consider retired Marine Corps major general turned defense consultant Arnold Punaro who recently said of Biden's coming tenure, "I think the industry will have, when it comes to national security, a very positive view." Read more:...

As Trump’s term ends, 40 percent of top DoD jobs lack confirmed officials
According to information compiled by Arnold Punaro, a former Senate Armed Services Committee staff director and retired Marine Corps general officer, the Trump administration has lagged dramatically behind its predecessor in getting defense officials confirmed. Read...

40% of Top Pentagon Positions Empty After Donald Trump’s Firing of Mark Esper
Senate approval for Trump's nominees seems even less likely considering that the Senate only has about 14 working days left, former Senate Armed Services Committee staff director, Arnold Punaro, told Defense News. Read more:...

New Pentagon chief racing to make changes before Trump’s exit
“It does not surprise me that someone with a special operations background would want to do this as it has been a sore subject with many special operators,” said Arnold Punaro, retired Marine Corps major general and former staff director for the Senate Armed Services...

Miller’s appointment as acting DoD secretary was probably legal, but not what Congress intended
In an interview, Punaro told me there’s “no question” that Congress intended for the deputy secretary of Defense to be next in line upon the secretary’s departure. Though he conceded the language of Goldwater-Nichols could have been clearer on that point. Read more:...

No SECDEF with defense contractor ties, House progressives ask of Biden
“I think the industry will have, when it comes to national security, a very positive view” of Biden’s tenure, retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, who now works as a defense consultant, told the Washington Post. Read more:...

Biden likely to break barriers, pick woman to lead Pentagon
Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine two-star general and former staff director of the Senate Armed Services Committee under then-Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia, said recently that he regards Flournoy as “incredibly well-qualified” to lead the Pentagon. Read more:...

After firings and turnover, national security community wonders: What’s next?
“What can presidents do without the Congress? They can deploy troops and they can remove troops,” Punaro said. “If the president decides to complete what’s said about a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the Middle East, he certainly has ample time to enforce...

Will the NDAA survive a lame duck Trump?
Others aren't so optimistic that lawmakers can pass a defense bill over Trump's objections. Arnold Punaro, a former staff director for the Senate Armed Services Committee, cautioned a compromise NDAA likely won't be ready until December near the end of the...
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Pinkston
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