Senate panel advances key DOD nominees

The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to advance four nominees tapped by President Biden for senior Defense Department positions.

The nominees advancing to the full Senate for final confirmation are: Nickolas Guertin to be director of operational test and evaluation; Alexandra Baker to be deputy under secretary of defense for policy; John Coffey to be Navy general counsel; and Douglas Bush to be Army acquisition chief.

A final vote to approve Baker, a former staffer for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), could be close and is expected to break down mostly along party lines as indicated by Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during her contentious nomination hearing.