Prez intends to nominate trio

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has announced his intent to nominate Mark Esper for Secretary of Defense, David Norquist as deputy secretary of defense, and Ryan McCarthy as Secretary of the Army. Esper, currently the Army secretary, will take over as acting secretary of defense June 24; McCarthy, the under secretary of the Army, will then become acting secretary for the service. Norquist, the Pentagon’s comptroller, has been serving as deputy secretary of defense for the last six months. Should all three be nominated and confirmed, it would create stability among Pentagon leadership that’s been absent since SECDEF Jim Mattis left. Esper and McCarthy come with ties to industry. Esper worked as VP for government relations for Raytheon, while McCarthy worked as Lockheed Martin’s VP for sustainment on the F-35 program. (Source: Defense News 06/22/19)