Military Leadership Update: Nordhaus Confirmed as National Guard Commanding Officer; Air Guard Nominee Remains Pending Approval
Here's a lively take on the situation:
The Lowdown on Late-Arriving Top Brass
The Senate, in a hush-hush move last Monday, gave the green light to Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven S. Nordhaus to ascend to the National Guard's helm, filling a vacancy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff that's been screaming for a fix for nearly two months.
Nordhaus' promotion was shoved through with a unanimous voice vote as the Senate called it a night. The exact timeline for his grand pinning ceremony and swearing-in remains unclear.
Slated to be the top dog overseeing policy and resources for around 325,000 National Guard troops worldwide, Nordhaus—a long-serving fighter jock—will have his hands full balancing the needs of state Guard leadership as their units are stretched thin on missions ranging from disaster response to school bus driving duties.
President Joe Biden picked Nordhaus to replace outgoing Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson back in July. However, the late nomination put a damper on things, bumping up a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee to Sept. 12.
In the interim, Army National Guard boss Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Stubbs has been holding down the fort as acting National Guard chief.
Meanwhile, other confirmed heavy-hitters this week include Air Force Lt. Gen. Randall Reed (U.S. Transportation Command), Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark (Army forces in the Pacific), and Navy Vice Adm. Alvin Holsey (U.S. Southern Command). They're all set to don their new ranks of general or admiral.
However, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) held back Clark's promotion to four-star status over fears that Clark failed to alert the White House about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization in January while serving as Austin's senior military aide.
Eagle-eyed reporters over at the Alaska Beacon noticed that Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, the Air National Guard's acting top officer since June, remains in limbo regarding his permanent appointment. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) is holding his confirmation until the Air National Guard agrees to exempt Alaska from planned staffing changes that would convert some full-time positions across the Air Guard to lower-paying roles with different responsibilities.
As of Sept. 25, there's been no word on whether Sullivan has lifted the hold or not in light of the exemption for Alaska. The whole shebang is on pause until after the Nov. 5 elections, potentially prolonging Pirak's wait for confirmation until the end of the year.
Senate Shenanigans
*Sources suggest that Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak's confirmation is on hold, and he continues in his role as acting chief of the Air National Guard while awaiting official confirmation. The details behind the hold and an expected confirmation date are scarce in the available sources.
- The Air Force's Lt. Gen. Duke Pirak is in a limbo state, with his permanent appointment on hold due to Senate proceedings, as he continues as the acting chief of the Air National Guard.
- The Senate's actions and political maneuverings, such as the hold on Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak's confirmation, have become a topic of general news and politics, with the details of the hold and expected confirmation date remaining unclear.
- In the realm of military policy-and-legislation, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) has applied pressure by withholding confirmation for Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, until the Air National Guard agrees to exempt Alaska from planned staffing changes that could result in lower-paying roles with altered responsibilities.
- Space Force, as a branch of the military, is not directly mentioned in this context, but the broader discussion of military promotions and political machinations could potentially involve it in policy-and-legislation and politics, given the recent focus on space as a critical area for national defense.
