The National Guard will be without a Senate-confirmed leader until at least September after the Senate left for a five-week summer break without taking action to approve a new chief.
The National Guard vacancy is just one item in a stack of unfinished military and veterans-related business facing Congress as lawmakers head home for the end of summer, including the annual defense policy and spending bills, a bill to ensure veterans benefits payments aren’t disrupted this fall, and legislation featuring a grab bag of policies that has been a top priority for veterans groups.
But the Senate’s inaction on the nominee to be the new chief of the National Guard Bureau, driven by a delay in the White House making the nomination, will have the most immediate effect. Gen. Daniel Hokanson retires as chief Friday night, and without a Senate-confirmed replacement, a yet-to-be-named acting chief will take his place.
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The Senate made some progress on shoring up National Guard leadership before leaving town. As part of a batch of military nominees approved Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Brig. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs to be the next director of the Army National Guard. Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, the nominee to be the next director of the Air National Guard, was also advanced out of the Senate Armed Services Committee this week but was not approved by the full…
