Military man Salesses acting US defence secretary as Hegseth waits for Senate approval
A retired United States Marine Corps officer will be serving as acting defence secretary until President Donald Trump's choice for the position, Pete Hegseth, is confirmed by the Senate.
Prior to this role, Robert Salesses was deputy director of the Washington Headquarters Services, which is focused on human resources, facilities and resource management within the Pentagon.
The Senate Armed Services Committee approved Pete Hegseth's nomination for Defence Secretary to the full Senate – which is expected to vote on his confirmation later this week.
What happens next?
The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the full Senate are both parts of the US Senate but serve different roles and functions.
SASC members are appointed based on expertise or interest in military and defence issues – they typically vote on bills or issues before sending them to the full Senate for broader debate and approval.
On Monday, the SACS panel voted 14-13 to advance Mr Hegseth to the full Senate within hours of Donald Trump being sworn in as president.
It's been reported the Senate Republicans are likely to push through the confirmation but it may take several days before the vote takes place.
Former Army veteran and Fox News host Mr Hegseth is one of the most controversial figures ever to be nominated for Secretary of Defence.
Last week he endured scrutiny over his inexperience, sexual misconduct, alleged drinking and past opposition to women in combat – but he emerged from the confirmation hearing largely unscathed.
Who is Richard Salesses?
Before becoming acting US Defence Secretary, Mr Salesses managed a portfolio of complex operational services supporting nearly 100,000 Department of Defence personnel in the National Capital Region.
He's stepped up after the departure of Democrat Lloyd Austin, the retired four-star general in the United States Army who served as the Secretary of Defence under President Joe Biden.
Mr Salesses has a distinguished military background, with key roles in major global projects like removing nuclear stockpiles from former Soviet states and helping liberate Kuwait during the Gulf War, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
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