Erin Conaton faced members of the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday during her confirmation hearing to be the undersecretary of the Air Force. She was nominated just last week to fill the post that has been vacant since August 2007. In advance policy questions, the Senators asked several questions about the DOD Executive Agent for Space post that the Air Force undersecretary held for several years before the Office of the Secretary of Defense took it away. Conaton noted that the Air Force currently is reviewing the “organization and management of space issues” and that the Quadrennial Defense Review and Space Posture Review will also “inform and assist the Air Force in developing the way ahead, to include lines of authority and organizational structures.” (Air Force Secretary Michael Donley wants USAF to get the role back, and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz agrees.) (Conaton responses to advance questions)
In Purge, Trump Fires Brown, Slife, Franchetti, and More
Feb. 21, 2025
President Donald Trump fired Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announcing his intent to nominate retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John "Dan" Caine to replace him in a social media post Feb. 21.