“… On Monday, NBC News published a report citing three senior administration officials who said Trump has considered Wilkie as a replacement for Mark Esper as Secretary of Defense, and that the president has spoken to Wilkie about it directly…”
“Wilkie has courted the idea of the top Pentagon spot previously, including during his time as VA Secretary, a job he was confirmed to in 2018. The Navy Reserve vet and Air Force Reserve colonel is a graduate of the College of Naval Command and Staff, Air Command and Staff College, U.S. Army War College and Joint Forces Staff College. He frequently references his father, a wounded Vietnam veteran, and his upbringing in Fayetteville and Fort Bragg, North Carolina.”
“At the Pentagon, Wilkie has served as Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness under Defense Secretary Gen. James Mattis and other roles under Secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates.”
“The NBC News report said Wilkie was among several potential candidates to replace Esper ‘informally interviewed’ by White House officials this summer as tensions mounted between Trump and Esper, and the president allegedly threatened to remove his Defense Secretary…” Read the full article here.
Source: As VA Secretary defends Trump, reports say POTUS considering him for Defense Secretary – By Abbie Bennett, September 8, 2020. Connecting Vets.
