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.
Specifically, Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan said in responses to advance questions that he would consider the provision of lethal defensive equipment to Ukraine. When asked by McCain to clarify his stance, he said more decisively he would support such action.
“Do not do that again, Mr. Shanahan, or I will not take your name up for a vote before this committee,” McCain said, criticizing the lack of clear commitment to security assistance to Ukraine in light of Russia’s actions in the region, which includes its incursion into Crimea and fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Shanahan during the hearing reaffirmed his support for the U.S. program to modernize its nuclear arsenal and the development of a response to 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.”
Shanahan currently serves as Boeing’s senior vice president of supply chain and operations. He was previously senior vice president of the company’s airplane programs and, before that, vice president and general manager of its missile defense systems.
The deputy secretary of defense slot is now held 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, which involves its apparent deployment of a cruise missile within the prohibited flight range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.
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 ICBM and the Long-Range Standoff nuclear cruise missile.
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.
Shanahan, in his answers to the committee’s advance policy questions, highlighted over 30 years of leadership at Boeing, including oversight of the production of over 4,300 commercial aircraft, billions in increased revenue over the past several years, and management of roughly 60,000 employees in the United States and 36,000 globally.