President-elect Donald Trump has named his picks for several top positions at the Pentagon including deputy secretary of defense, and other high-profile acquisition, research, and policy posts.
In a series of posts to his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump announced a slew of intended nominations to Pentagon posts including Michael Duffey as undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, Emil Michael as undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, and Elbridge Colby to be undersecretary of defense for policy.
Multi-billionaire investor Stephen Feinberg was nominated as undersecretary of defense.
Nominations for all of those positions require confirmation by the Senate.
Feinberg, Colby, and Duffey previously served alongside Trump in his first administration.
Duffey served in the Office of Management and Budget during Trump’s first term and was part of Trump’s transition team in his first administration.
Duffey’s history with the Trump administration extends beyond his appointments – following a call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Duffey requested that the Pentagon freeze $250 million in aid to Kyiv, leading to Trump’s first impeachment.
“Mike will drive change at the Pentagon and, as a staunch proponent of an America First approach to our National Defense, will work to revitalize our Defense Industrial Base, and rebuild our Military,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social.
Colby served as deputy assistant secretary of defense in the first Trump administration and has been a major proponent of defending Taiwan in the case of a conflict with China.
During his work during Trump’s first term, Colby helped develop the 2018 National Defense Strategy which prioritized great power competition with China and Russia. Colby has also pushed for the U.S. military to focus attention on China and the Indo-Pacific region while reducing resources in other areas, including increasing pressure on allies in the region, such as Japan, to ramp up defense spending.
Trump wrote that Colby will help him achieve his “policy of PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” and will help to “Make America Great Again.”
Michael, tapped as undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, was chief business officer at ride-sharing company Uber and served as special assistant to the secretary of defense from 2009 to 2011, according to his LinkedIn profile. In his coming position, Michael will be helping to foster next-generation military capabilities including overseeing critical technology for the Pentagon, such as quantum technology, artificial intelligence, integrated sensing and cyber, and hypersonics.
Multi-billionaire Stephen Feinberg rounded out the recent batch of nominees after Trump tapped him for undersecretary of defense. Feinberg is the co-founder and co-CEO of defense contractor Cerberus Capital Management, which has invested in hypersonic missiles. Feinberg is an “extremely successful businessman,” according to a post by Trump.
The deputy secretary pick has a net worth of $5 billion according to Forbes and has never held a position within the Department of Defense (DoD), though he led the Intelligence Advisory Board during the first Trump administration. The board advises the president on intelligence community effectiveness and future planning.
