Rocky start for DOD’s No. 2

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's nominee for Deputy Navy Secretary had a rocky confirmation hearing with Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) on June 20. McCain, at one point, threatened to withhold a vote on the nominee. Other senators peppered about his lack of experience in the Defense Department. Patrick Shanahan, a VP at Boeing aerospace defense, was nominated in March. Shanahan said his experience will help prepare him to complement SECDEF Jim Mattis. If confirmed, Shanahan would replace Robert Work, a retired Marine colonel, who was asked by Mattis to stay on for several months with the Trump administration. Just this week, Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security division of St. Louis, Mo., was awarded a $20,751,618 contract modification for mission training center services of simulation equipment to train pilots and weapons system operators for F-15C and F-15E aircraft. (Source: Washington Post 06/20/17) Gulf Coast Note: Boeing has 12 supplier/vendor locations in Mississippi which is estimated to provide 1,000 direct/indirect jobs, according to the company’s website.