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Informed US officials and politicians confirm that Michael Flournoy, a politically moderate who previously served in the Pentagon, has become the closest option to assuming the post of Secretary of Defense in the United States if Biden is confirmed to win the presidential election, according to Associated Press.
Flournoy’s election comes on the heels of a turbulent stint at the Defense Department during the administration of US President Donald Trump, where five men have been in rotation, the last of whom was Mark Esper, who was fired last Monday.
In the event that Flournoy’s election is confirmed, he is likely to face issues related to shrinking Pentagon budgets and possible US military involvement in the distribution of the Corona virus vaccine.
Democrats have long sought to nominate a woman for the job, as Flournoy was also the long-awaited choice for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the name Flournoy appeared early on as the first candidate to take over the Department of Defense in the Biden administration.
Flournoy, 59, held various positions at the Pentagon since the 1990s, and most recently as Under Secretary of Defense for Politics between 2009 and 2012 during the Obama era, and is known for her preference for a politics strong military cooperation with countries around the world.
Her moderate views are likely to secure broad bipartisan support if she is formally nominated, and that requires Senate approval.
A few other names were mentioned, including the former head of the Department of Homeland Security, J. Johnson, but choosing a woman to fill this position remains in line with Biden’s promises to form a diverse government.
Looking at his positions on events around the world, Flournoy believes that China is the single most important long-term challenge facing the United States on the world stage.
Last July, he said the United States was losing its military technology edge over big competitors like China, noting that reversing this trend should be a top priority for the Pentagon.
On another occasion, he also warned against exiting the Middle East altogether, calling instead for a sustained and moderate presence in the region.
As an example, he has supported a limited role for US forces in Afghanistan that focuses more on countering the threat of terrorism and less on rebuilding the country.
Regarding Iran, Flournoy believes a different policy should be followed to deter Tehran by breaking the usual pattern of sending more US forces to the Gulf in response to Iranian provocations.
