Lawmakers on edge over lack of nominee for top Joint Chiefs job
Gen. John Hyten, the nation's No. 2 military officer, retires next month.
John Hyten speaks.
Hyten, the vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is slated to retire on Nov. 21. | Nati Harnik/AP Phto
By PAUL MCLEARY and CONNOR O’BRIEN
10/18/2021 03:40 PM EDT
Lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned that the White House has yet to name a successor for Gen. John Hyten, the military’s No. 2 officer, one month before he is set to retire.
The anxiety comes as the Senate already faces an agenda clogged with other Pentagon and State Department nominations and a host of other high-stakes problems to tackle. Hyten, the vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is slated to retire on Nov. 21.
Three defense officials, speaking on background because no decision has been announced publicly, have pointed to Adm. Christopher Grady, head of the Navy’s Fleet Forces command, as being in the lead for the job, while Adm. Charles Richard, commander of Strategic Command, is also under consideration.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/18/joint-chiefs-nominee-hyten-516204
