Senators advance Calvelli's nomination as space SAE

By Briana Reilly / March 8, 2022 at 11:14 AM

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted today to advance President Biden's pick to serve as the first assistant Air Force secretary for space acquisition.

Senators approved Frank Calvelli, a senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton, and six other nominees in the midst of a hearing this morning featuring the heads of U.S. Strategic and Space Command.

The vote came in the weeks after Calvelli’s nomination hearing before the panel, in which he pledged to "drive speed" into the process for fielding new capabilities while bolstering resiliency in space architecture.

Calvelli previously served as the principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office, in which he oversaw a space portfolio.

Lawmakers also OK’d National Security Agency Inspector General Robert Storch’s nomination as Defense Department IG. Storch is the first IG at NSA to be appointed by a president, selected by former President Trump.

Other nominees the committee advanced include: Franklin Parker to be assistant Navy secretary for manpower and reserve affairs; Agnes Schaefer to be assistant Army secretary for manpower and Reserve affairs; Peter Beshar to be Air Force general counsel; Christopher Lowman to be assistant secretary of defense for sustainment; and Lester Martinez-Lopez to be assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.

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