Who could be Biden’s or Trump’s next secretary of defense?

Every presidential administration selects its new Cabinet members, even when the president wins reelection. Among these is the secretary of defense, and with heightened scrutiny around Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s health on top of the election year, discussions about his successor have begun to mount.

Heading into the presidential primary season, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are leading their respective parties. Here is a look at who both candidates could select as their next defense chief.

Biden’s top contenders:

Kathleen Hicks

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. | (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks is one of the top choices and a natural successor to Austin. Hicks’s background is with the Defense Department in civilian roles, including a Senate-confirmed post as principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy in 2012. 

Hicks is not the most public figure in the Defense Department, instead opting to work behind the scenes. But she was the first woman appointed to second in command of the department, and if selected as defense secretary under Biden, she would be the first woman appointed to the role.

Christine Wormuth

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, testifies before a Senate Armed Services committee May 5, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, testifies before a Senate Armed Services committee May 5, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. | (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth is also a woman who has already made history as the first female to serve in the position. Wormuth previously served as a special assistant to former President Barack Obama and senior director for defense at the National Security Council.

Wormuth has received accolades from the Pentagon and other leaders for her work leading the Army, including her efforts to address the recruiting crisis in the armed services.

Michele Flournoy

FILE – In this Feb. 22, 2010, file photo then-Defense Undersecretary for Policy Michele Flournoy testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Afghanistan. Flournoy, a politically moderate Pentagon veteran, is regarded by U.S. officials and political insiders as a top choice for President-elect Joe Bide to choose to head the Pentagon. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Michele Flournoy was at the top of Biden’s list for his first defense secretary but could be further down his list in 2024 because of clashes in policy, including a public clash on the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which cost 13 service members their lives.

A civilian expert in defense and national security, Flourney served as the undersecretary of defense for policy from February 2009 to February 2012 and became a top adviser to the defense secretary. 

Jeh Johnson

Former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said Sunday that he would prefer to see social media firms self-regulate than see government agencies step in and dictate speech. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said Sunday that he would prefer to see social media firms self-regulate than see government agencies step in and dictate speech. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) | Steven Senne

If Biden selects a man for the role, Jeh Johnson appears more than qualified. Johnson served as the secretary of homeland security during Obama’s second term, from 2013-2017. Before working in homeland security, Johnson worked as a general counsel for the Department of Defense.

Johnson opted not to serve in the Biden administration despite being considered for multiple roles after he was passed over for defense secretary. He was also reportedly considered for U.S. attorney general, according to Reuters.

Trump’s potential nominees include:

Christopher Miller

Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller.
Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller. | (Tom Williams/Pool via AP)

Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller is possibly one of the top contenders for the position in another Trump administration. He could be tapped to finish what he started at the end of Trump’s first term, Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt last month. 

“We had Miller at the end who did a very good job,” Trump told Hewitt. “I thought he was really good. I thought he was very good.”

Miller only served as acting defense secretary for three months before Trump exited office, but he previously served as Trump’s director of the National Counterterrorism Center. 

Robert O’Brien

Robert O'Brien, Trump's nominee for national security adviser, is seen.
Robert O’Brien, Trump’s nominee for national security adviser, is seen. | (State Department / Wikimedia Commons)

Another choice for the top Pentagon official is former national security adviser Robert O’Brien. However, some former officials told Politico that he is more interested in being secretary of state or returning to his role as national security adviser. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Despite his reported interest in the top diplomat position, O’Brien has been critical of the Biden administration’s response to recent attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East last November and called for the president to do more to protect U.S. troops.

Other potential contenders for Trump’s appointment include Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), a former Army infantry officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and John Ratcliffe, Trump’s former director of national intelligence.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Telegram
Tumblr