The Donald Trump administration’s nominee for deputy secretary of defense faced a rocky confirmation hearing Tuesday, probed by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) about his stance toward Russian activity abroad and within an arms control agreement with the United States.
In one of several exchanges with McCain, Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan reaffirmed his support for the U.S. program to modernize its nuclear arsenal and the development of a response to address Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty: “through the whole of government we need to deal with . . . their disruption to our interests.”
“I don’t have any specific recommendations,” he said, however. “If confirmed, I will spend a significant amount of time dealing with Russia.”
This exchange prompted McCain to interject, “you’re not making me happy,” adding that the nominee “ducked basically every question.”
The deputy secretary of defense slot is currently filled by Robert Work, an Obama administration holdover.
If Shanahan is confirmed, he will lead the Defense Department’s Nuclear Posture Review to set U.S. nuclear policy for up to a decade. That process will include consideration of potential military responses to Russia’s INF Treaty breach.
Shanahan would also lead the assessment of each part of the U.S. nuclear modernization program, estimated to cost $1 trillion over 30 years, including new programs such as the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent and the Long-Range Standoff nuclear cruise missile program.
The Pentagon plans to submit a final NPR report to Trump by the end of the year.
In announcing the official start to the review in April, the Defense Department said the process would be led by the deputy secretary of defense and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with interagency partners – including the State Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Gen. Paul Selva has been vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs since 2015.
