What Happens If We Don't Have a SecDef When Trump Takes Office on Monday?

When President-elect Donald Trump takes the Oath of Office on Monday, it's likely that only one of his hand-picked national security team will have been confirmed by the U.S. Senate: Marco Rubio, Trump's pick for secretary of State. 

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Republicans like Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) have been beating the drum for weeks about the importance of quickly confirming Trump's team to ensure there are no lapses or gaps in national security. He took to the Senate floor last week, noting that Trump had nominated his core team before Thanksgiving and, given his electoral mandate, must have his nominees in place when he takes office.

“These nominees are bold choices. They are motivated. They are skilled. They are committed to the safety and security of every American.

“Most importantly, they show that President Trump is serious about bringing fresh eyes and real change to Washington.

“This is exactly what the American people elected him to do.

“Senate Republicans are committed to get President Trump’s team in place quickly. Our Committee Chairs are working aggressively to give each nominee fair and speedy consideration."

Once the confirmation hearings got underway, Barrasso continued to call for Trump's national security team to be primed to hit the ground running, calling particular attention to the need for Pete Hegseth to be confirmed as secretary of Defense.

Alas, Senate Democrats seem hellbent on dragging out the Hegseth confirmation process as long as they possibly can, leaving us to wonder what happens if we don't have a SecDef on Monday? After all, conflicts won't stop churning and bad actors won't take the day off.

We know for sure that Biden's SecDef, Lloyd Austin, will no longer be at the helm. As RedState's Nick Arama reported Friday, Austin was clapped out by Pentagon staff as he made his final exit and rode off into the sunset.

What was Austin most known for? Probably when he went missing because of illness--without telling anyone--at a critical time. The terrible withdrawal from Afghanistan was also on his watch, and no one has been held accountable for that. They want to talk about Pete Hegseth? I don't think we'll find Hegseth going missing like Austin or failing to be held accountable. 

We know for sure that Donald Trump will be commander in chief as of 12:00 p.m. ET Monday, but it's somewhat murky as to what will be happening across the Potomac River at the Pentagon. As of Friday, no acting defense secretary had been designated, leading military officials in the Army, Navy, and Air Force to begin preparations in case they need to step in.

It is expected that Hegseth's nomination will be voted on Monday by the Senate Armed Services Committee, but it could take several more days before it goes to the full Senate for a vote. In the meantime, a holdover from the Biden administration could cover those days, but it seems that there is a reluctance from the short-timers to stay on, even if just for a short while, because they may be asked to enact Trump's policies. 

Therefore, the ball is in Team Trump's court.

For the service secretaries, officials said that while things could still change before the inauguration, the Trump team is eyeing Gen. Randy George, chief of staff of the Army, to be that service’s temporary head. They said Gen. David Allvin, chief of staff of the Air Force, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy chief, are aware they may have to step in if no civilian is named as acting secretary, and they are preparing for that possibility.

Four years ago, Trump's deputy secretary of Defense, David Norquist, stayed on the job until Lloyd Austin was confirmed. If the Biden team won't offer the same courtesy, then it sounds like a plan is falling into place to ensure that the military might of the United States remains intact.

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