Pentagon leaders came under fire Tuesday for unilaterally overhauling part of the department’s policy office without consulting Congress.
The Senate Armed Services Committee learned about the changes just two days before Tuesday’s confirmation hearing for Austin Dahmer, who was nominated to serve as assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities.
The panel was unaware that the Pentagon had changed Dahmer’s title from assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and forces to “strategy, plans and capabilities.”
The department said the change was “merely cosmetic” to better reflect the office’s mission, adding that its duties and responsibilities remain the same. But Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the committee, said that, based on the limited information the committee has received, that does not appear to be the case.
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Reed said the department quietly realigned portfolios of three deputy assistant secretaries who report to the assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities — the position Dahmer was tapped to fill. For instance, responsibility for AUKUS, a trilateral security partnership between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, used to fall under the deputy assistant secretary of defense for force development and emerging capabilities — a new policy office created by merging the Emerging Capabilities Policy Office with the Force Development Office.
Under the reorganization, oversight of AUKUS will shift to another assistant secretary of defense’s office, taking it out of Dahmer’s portfolio.
According to a memo provided to the committee, the changes took effect Oct. 8.
“Reviewing the roles and responsibilities in office is not unusual and sometimes it’s needed. Normally, when the department conducts such a reorganization, it will send to the committee a summary of those changes for our review and consideration before the committee proceeds with the nomination. This is important because the Senate has a constitutional duty to advise and consent on all Senate confirmed nominees as such having a basic understanding of a nominee’s duties is imperative to our oversight role. Unfortunately, that did not happen in this case,” Reed said.
“Rather, we were informed this weekend that these changes had been made, and they were designed to ‘realign certain policy activities and rebrand parts of the organization to better reflect the priorities of the Trump administration,’” he added.
Dahmer told lawmakers that the position’s responsibilities remain largely unchanged.
“My understanding is that the duties and responsibilities of the position are the same and that it’s a title change,” Dahmer, who has served as deputy assistant secretary for strategy and force development since March, said.
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If confirmed, Dahmer would report to Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, whom Senators said has been impossible to reach.
“The hardest guy to get a hold of in the Trump administration is the under secretary of defense for policy. I hope he’s watching. I’m meeting with him tomorrow. Maybe he’ll cancel on me. I don’t know,” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said. “He came to this committee and said, ‘I’m going to work with the Congress.’ He hasn’t, on big issues.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee, also criticized the policy office for lack of transparency and information sharing on major issues, including the decision to reduce military presence in Europe and pause some assistance to Ukraine.
“I’ve noticed an unsettling trend this year. At times the Pentagon officials have pursued policies that are not in accord with President Trump’s orders or seem uncoordinated within the administration,” Wicker said.
“Members and staff of this committee have struggled to receive information from the policy office and have not been able to consult in a meaningful way with the shop, either on the National Defense Strategy or the Global Posture Review,” he added.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) echoed the sentiment, adding that “it just seems like there’s this pigpen-like mess coming out of the policy shop that you don’t see” from other offices.
Lawmakers’ frustration with the policy shop comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has barred all DoD personnel from communicating with Congress unless cleared by the department’s office of legislative affairs. CNN reported this week that the department has issued a list of restricted topics that need prior approval, including the National Defense Strategy, acquisition reform, budget and reconciliation spending plans and the electromagnetic spectrum.
Dahmer testified alongside Col. Michael J. Borders, who was tapped to serve as assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations and environment, and Robert Kadlec, who was nominated to be assistant secretary of defense for nuclear deterrence, chemical and biological defense policy and programs.
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