Flournoy: 1st woman SECDEF?

WASHINGTON - In June 2016, then-VP Joe Biden delivered keynote remarks at an event hosted by the Center for a New American Security, a think tank founded and by Michèle Flournoy. At that event, Biden acknowledged that Flournoy was in line – under a Hillary Clinton administration, which never materialized, to be the first woman to serve as defense secretary. “Well, madam secretary,” Biden said with a laugh, “I’m writing a recommendation for her, you know.” Four years later, a Biden administration is expected to fulfill his promise and0 tap Flournoy to lead the military. Additional names floating about include Susan Rice, but signs aren’t showing her being much interested; U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-(Ill.), an Iraq War veteran, has been mentioned. Other names will pop up in the coming weeks. Flournoy’s career at DoD was launched under the Bill Clinton administration, where she served as principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and threat reduction, and then deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy. Later, she spent several years at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. She left the administration in 2012, joining a few corporate boards before returning to CNAS as CEO. In between, she was three times in conversations to take senior Pentagon jobs. Expect Flournoy to challenge the status quo if she becomes SECDDEF. (Source: Defense News 11/08/20) https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2020/11/08/michele-flournoy-could-become-the-first-woman-to-run-the-pentagon-heres-what-would-change/