New Air Force secretary confirmed
The Senate has confirmed a former New Mexico congresswoman as the top civilian leader of the Air Force.
Heather A. Wilson, an Air Force Academy graduate and Rhodes scholar, was chosen to become secretary of the Air Force.
The former five-term Republican congresswoman was president of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology before her confirmation as secretary.
Wilson, 56, is the first Trump administration nominee for secretary of a service branch to be confirmed. Two nominees for secretary of the Army and another for secretary of the Navy withdrew their names from consideration.
Wilson replaces acting secretary of the Air Force Lisa S. Disbrow.
Loren B.Thompson, a senior defense analyst with the Lexington Institute and a defense industry consultant, said Wilson was “exceptionally well qualified” for the post.
“Wilson is steeped in the intricacies of the legislative process and military strategy,” he said in an email. “Unlike the hedge fund managers and entrepreneurs that President Trump has nominated to run other military services, Wilson has a deep understanding of how Washington works, and thus is well-positioned to defend the programs at Wright-Patterson AFB.”
“Wilson understands the pivotal role that Wright-Patt plays in both buying weapons and analyzing intelligence,” he added. “It is hard to imagine a political appointee better prepared to protect the intellectual capital and core programs at the base.”
Michael Gessel, Dayton Development Coalition vice president of federal programs, said Wilson had a “deep, personal understanding of the Air Force from a variety of perspectives — as a graduate of the Air Force Academy, a veteran Air Force officer, and a former member of Congress and the House Armed Services Committee.”
“In her nomination hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in March, she addressed the importance of modernizing weapon systems and developing research to keep the Air Force ahead of adversaries for the long term,” he said in an email. “Those are two of the key missions of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.”
Both U.S. Senators from Ohio voted in favor of Wilson in a 76-22 vote.
”Ohio is home to several Air Force bases with unique missions and skilled work forces, so the relationship between my office and the Secretary of the Air Force is critical to maintaining jobs throughout Ohio and ensuring national security,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. “I look forward to showing Dr. Wilson the good work of Ohio men and women at our state’s Air Force installations so we can best support their efforts to keep our country safe.”
Brown, Sen. Rob Portman and Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, have all invited Wilson to visit Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Turner, a co-chair of the House Air Force Caucus, also applauded the vote.
“Secretary Wilson’s military and congressional experience will benefit our airmen, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and our nation as she leads the effort to ensure our air superiority,” he said. “Her experience on the House Intelligence Committee will also be an asset to NASIC. I look forward to working with her in my capacity as Chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, Air Force Caucus co-chair and a member of the House Intelligence Committee.”
Turner, whose district includes Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is a co-chair of the House Air Force Caucus.
The former New Mexico congresswoman faced scrutiny from Democrats during her confirmation hearing before the Armed Services Committee for defense industry consulting work she did after leaving Congress in 2009.
She collected nearly half a million dollars in questionable payments from federally funded nuclear labs, the Energy Department’s inspector general said in a 2013 report.
Wilson allegedly failed to provide documentation for the consulting work she did to earn $20,000 a month from the Los Alamos and Sandia national labs in New Mexico from January 2009 to March 2011, the report said.
Wilson denied any impropriety and said she complied fully with her contract for the consulting services.
Wilson served as an Air Force officer in Europe during the 1980s and was on the National Security Council staff under then-President George H.W. Bush during the fall of the Berlin Wall.
She served five terms in Congress, where she was a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and chaired the House Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence.
She also served on the House Armed Services Committee.
Wilson said that if confirmed she would resign her current position as president of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.
She also assured the Defense Department’s general counsel that she would divest of stocks she holds in companies that do work for the U.S. military, including Intel, IBM, Honeywell and Raytheon.