Political Quotes

“I rise in support of tonight's vote to move forward the nomination of Mr. Ronald Keohane to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. I need not remind my colleagues, with the instability throughout the world right now, how critical it is to ensure that strong civilian leadership is in place across the Department and the military services. As the Commissioner of the National Defense Strategy concluded, ``The implementation of the National Defense Strategy must feature empowered civilians fulfilling their statutory responsibilities, particularly regarding issues of forced management. Strong civilian oversight is the central hallmark of U.S. civil-military relations, codified in the Constitution and embraced throughout the Nation's history.'' Mr. Keohane was reported out of the committee not once but twice--the first time on March 23, 2023, and then again this conference on February 8, 2024. Both times, he was reported out by voice vote with no one asking to be recorded as a no. To my knowledge, no one has raised any objections to his qualifications. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs is the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness on all matters related to civilian and military personnel policies, reserve integration, military community and family policy, and total force planning and requirements.…”