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| US Sen Thomas Cotton (Image: WikI Commons) |
by Bill Carey
One prominent candidate who is reported to be under consideration for the role of U.S. defense secretary in the coming Trump administration would shore up the nation’s nuclear triad, replace aging B-52 bombers with the new B-21 Raider and take a hard line against Iran.
U.S. Sen. Thomas Cotton (R-Ark.), who served as an Army infantry officer in Iraq and Afghanistan, fielded questions from New York Times journalist David Sanger during the Defense One Summit on November 17 in Washington, D.C. At the time, he was one of several contenders, including retired generals, that president-elect Donald Trump was said to be considering to lead the Pentagon. Cotton currently serves on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees.
In his Senate role, Cotton has proposed that Congress pass a $26.4 billion emergency supplemental spending bill to bolster the Department of Defense (DOD) in the current fiscal year and stem “eight years of neglect” under the Obama administration. The money would be distributed to pay for overseas contingency operations, readiness and outstanding “unfunded requirements” of the military services. The unfunded wish-list includes F-35 fighters and Apache and Chinook helicopters “they would have liked to buy if OMB [the White House Office of Management and Budget] didn’t take a pencil to their budget,” he told the conference.
Read the full story at AINonline