Obama Fails To Fill 40 Percent of Top DoD Appointments

Conn Carroll / August 20, 2009

Last week the Politico published results of their study on President Barack Obama’s public speeches  since taking office, concluding that Obama’s  rhetoric had “downplayed” the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to DefenseNews, President Obama’s lack of attention to our national security is not confined to rhetoric. DefenseNews reports:

Seven months into the Obama administration, key senior U.S. Defense Department jobs remain vacant even as the Pentagon reshapes its strategic focus and molds the 2011 spending plan.

Of 47 Pentagon posts that require Senate confirmation, eight are filled by holdovers appointed by former President George W. Bush. The Obama administration has filled an additional 20. That leaves 19 vacant positions scattered across the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the three
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“This is very worrisome,” said Zakheim, also a Defense Business Board member. “The secretary [Robert Gates] has a problem.” (more…)