President Obama has nominated Gen. Darren McDew to lead US Transportation Command. McDew, who has commanded Air Mobility Command since May 2014, would replace Gen. Paul Selva, who has been tapped to serve as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Obama also nominated Navy Adm. John Richardson for assignment as Chief of Naval Operations. Richardson currently serves as director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program in the Department of Navy and Department of Energy. He would replace Adm. Jonathan Greenert, who has led the Navy Department since September 2011. Both appointments are pending Senate confirmation.
The credibility of America’s deterrent is waning, and the way to get it back is by restructuring defense leadership and raising the defense budget almost 100 percent, according to a new paper from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.