TOPICS
TOPICS
Senate hearing scheduled Thursday for Air Force post nominee
Erin Conaton, majority staff director for the House Armed Services Committee, will have a hearing on Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee on her nomination to become undersecretary of the Air Force.
Conaton was tapped for the post last week by President Obama, and House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., was effusive in his praise for the appointment. "Erin's work ethic is unparalleled, but more importantly, she has a rare gift for getting along with people," Skelton said.
Conaton has been with the House committee staff since 2001. She previously was research staff director for the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century (the Hart-Rudman Commission) at the Pentagon. She is a graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and has a master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
COMMENTS
- The idea of bringing in seasoned staffers like Ms Conaton is huge, and should be a model for future political appointees. This will allow the new UnderSec to hit the ground running with deep insights and experiences already in hand. With Conaton's appointment, Obama is demonstrating that his actions are following his words. This will surely improve the past contentious relationship that resulted from the failed tanker acquisition, which frankly, was not the AF's fault. Maybe it is time to pass new legislation to penalize frivolous protests and organizational conflicts of interest relating to lobbying. How can agency heads do their job when large defense contractors continue to manipulate congress and the acquisition process. The losers are our war fighters and tax payers, and something must be done to allow our agency leaders to do their jobs without interference. John Weiler, IT-AAC Posted November 19, 2009 8:29 AM
