Page 3 - aruba-today-20201116

A3
U.S. NEWS Monday 16 noveMber 2020
Biden likely to break barriers, pick woman to lead Pentagon

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and country.
ROBERT BURNS "We want to reduce our
Associated Press commitment, but we want
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pres- to do it in a way that's
ident-elect Joe Biden is ex- smart and that safeguards
pected to take a historic our interests in the process,"
step and select a woman she said in March about
to head the Pentagon for Afghanistan, adding that
the first time, shattering one she hopes "we don't just
of the few remaining barri- cut and run." Trump has
ers to women in the depart- pushed for a full troop with-
ment and the presidential drawal from Afghanistan
Cabinet. by the end of the year, but
Michele Flournoy, a politi- so far the Pentagon has no
cally moderate Pentagon orders to do that.
veteran, is regarded by U.S. On North Korea, she said in
officials and political insid- an October online forum
ers as a top choice for the that while nuclear disarma-
position. ment should remain the
Her selection would come ultimate goal, she finds it
on the heels of a tumultu- "hard to see" Kim Jong Un
ous Pentagon period that agreeing to give up all his
has seen five men hold the nuclear weapons, which
top job under President In this Feb. 22, 2010, file photo then-Defense Undersecretary for Policy Michele Flournoy testifies on she said he sees as his re-
Donald Trump. The most Capitol Hill in Washington before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Afghanistan. gime's "survival card."On
recent defense secretary Associated Press Iran, Flournoy has argued
to go was Mark Esper, who for a revised approach of
was fired by Trump on Mon- and most recently as the going to be easy or hap- served in Trump's adminis- deterring the Islamic Re-
day after pushing back on undersecretary of defense pen overnight. I think it's tration — Jim Mattis, Esper public by breaking the fa-
issues including troop with- for policy from 2009 to 2012. going to take a lot of work and current acting Secre- miliar pattern of sending
drawals and the use of the She serves on the board of over a number of years to tary Christopher Miller — more American forces to
military to quell civilian un- Booz Allen Hamilton, a de- recover that trust and that have been military veter- the Gulf in response to Ira-
rest. fense contractor, which standing." ans. Flournoy did not serve nian provocations, as the
If confirmed, Flournoy could raise concerns from She has also cautioned in the military. Trump administration did
would face a future that is some lawmakers. But her against drastic, immediate Like Mattis and Esper, in May 2019 after what it
expected to involve shrink- moderate views would like- changes. Flournoy views China as called credible threats to
ing Pentagon budgets and ly ensure wide bipartisan "One of the most danger- the most significant long- U.S. interests in the region.
potential military involve- support in a position that ous tendencies is for — af- term challenge to Ameri- Flournoy is a co-founder of
ment in the distribution of a requires Senate confirma- ter a change of adminis- can predominance on the Westexec Advisors, a con-
coronavirus vaccine. tion. tration, particularly when world stage. In July, she sulting firm that provides
Democrats have long Few other names have there's a change of party said the United States is los- advice and geopolitical
sought to name a woman been mentioned, though — for the new team to ing its military technological risk analysis to corporate
to the top post in a depart- former Department of come in and use the term advantage over key com- clients. She works with a
ment that didn't open all Homeland Security chief 'repudiation.' But to come petitors like China and that mixture of former senior
combat jobs to female ser- Jeh Johnson was listed as in and assume that every- reversing this trend must be government officials — in-
vice members until about a possible choice at one thing their predecessors did the Pentagon's top priority. cluding Antony Blinken, a
five years ago. Flournoy point. Choosing a woman was wrong, you know, they She has, however, also former deputy secretary of
had been the expected would be consistent with throw the baby out with the warned against abandon- state and currently Biden's
choice of Hillary Clinton if Biden's pledge to have a bathwater, basically, and ing the Middle East and top foreign policy adviser
she had won the 2016 elec- diverse Cabinet. they overcorrect in anoth- instead advocates "more — and military experts such
tion. Her name surfaced She has been outspoken er direction," she said in a modest levels of continu- as retired Army Gen. Vin-
early as a front-runner for on American foreign and Hudson Institute forum. ous presence" there. As an cent Brooks, who led U.S.
Biden's Cabinet, said offi- defense policy, particularly Arnold Punaro, a retired example, she has backed forces in Korea until 2019.
cials who spoke on condi- over the past year. She fa- Marine two-star general a limited role in Afghani- In 2007, Flournoy helped
tion of anonymity to discuss vors closer international co- and former staff director of stan that focuses more on create a think tank, the
personnel matters. operation after four years the Senate Armed Services countering the terror threat Center for a New American
Seen as a steady hand of a Trump White House Committee under then- and less on rebuilding the Security.q
who favors strong mili- that touted an "America Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn
tary cooperation abroad, First" policy and was more of Georgia, said recently
Flournoy, 59, has served distrustful and critical of al- that he regards Flournoy as
multiple times in the Pen- lies. "incredibly well-qualified" to
tagon, starting in the 1990s "Whoever the next presi- lead the Pentagon.
dent is," she said in March, The Defense Department
"whether it's a second is one of three Cabinet
Trump term or Vice Presi- agencies — the others be-
dent Biden or whoever it ing Treasury and Veterans
is, one of the top agenda Affairs — that have never
items is going to try to, I been led by a woman.
think, repair some of that Some of the 28 men who
perception" that America have held the top defense
may no longer be a reliable job since it was created in
partner. "But I don't think it's 1947, including three who