Trump Announces Slate Of Top Pentagon Appointments

President-elect Trump on Sunday night revealed several new nominees for senior Pentagon roles, including his pick for the Defense Department’s No. 2 civilian.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said he was naming a “slate of America First Patriots” to work with his Defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth, including investor Stephen Feinberg as the next deputy secretary of defense.

Feinberg would “help Make the Pentagon Great Again,” Trump wrote, adding that the “extremely successful businessman” graduated from Princeton University before founding investment firm Cerberus Capital Management in 1992. 

A billionaire who supported Trump’s presidential campaign, Feinberg currently serves as co-CEO of Cerberus. During Trump’s first term, he served as head of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, which provides the commander-in-chief with independent advice on effectiveness of the intelligence community.

The chief job of the deputy secretary is to be in charge of day-to-day business, managing the Pentagon budget and working with the defense industry on programs and innovation.

Feinberg’s nomination is expected to face scrutiny on Capitol Hill for his lack of experience in running one of Washington’s largest agencies — which oversees some 3 million military and civilian personnel — as well as conflict of interest questions due to Cerberus’s investment in defense firms working on hypersonic missiles.  

Over several more Truth Social posts on Sunday, Trump named Elbridge “Bridge” Colby as his pick for undersecretary for policy, Michael Duffey for undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, Emil Michael as undersecretary for research and engineering, Keith Bass as assistant secretary for health affairs, and Joe Kasper as chief of staff for the secretary of Defense.

Trump called Colby, who served as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for strategy and force development in his last administration, a “highly respected advocate for our America First foreign and defense policy.” 

“Bridge will work closely with my outstanding Secretary of Defense Nominee, Pete Hegseth, to restore our Military power, and achieve my policy of PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH," Trump said, noting that Colby graduated from Harvard University and Yale Law School. 

Elbridge is most notable for being a lead architect of the 2018 National Defense Strategy, a document that called for far more emphasis on deterring and defeating China. He also has been vocal in pressing Taiwan to spend more on its defenses. 

Duffey, meanwhile, served in the Office of Management and Budget in Trump’s first term and was at the center of the effort to freeze $250 million in military aid for Ukraine after Trump over the phone pressured President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the family of President Biden. Duffey asked the Pentagon to hold off on the aid after the call, which led to Trump’s first impeachment. 

“Mike will drive change at the Pentagon and, as a staunch proponent of an America First approach to our National Defense, will work to revitalize our Defense Industrial Base, and rebuild our Military,” Trump said of Duffey.

Michael, a former executive at the ride-sharing company Uber, helped the business raise billions of dollars from investors but faced scandal in 2014 after he reportedly supported hiring opposition researchers meant to target journalists who wrote articles critical of the company. 

He eventually left Uber in 2017, after reports emerged that he visited an escort business in South Korea while on a business trip. 

Trump said Michael would “ensure that our Military has the most technologically sophisticated weapons in the World, while saving A LOT of money for our Taxpayers,” noting he was a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School. 

And Bass, a retired Navy commander up for assistant secretary for health affairs, will “ensure our Troops are healthy, and receiving the best Medical Care possible,” Trump said.

Trump pointed to Bass’s more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, including work with the medical departments of the DOD, CIA, and the White House.