Velez-Green nominated for key policy post

Pentagon adviser Alexander Velez-Green has been nominated to serve as deputy under secretary of defense for policy.

Velez-Green is currently a senior adviser to Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby.

He previously served as a national security adviser to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and held positions at the Heritage Foundation and RAND Corp.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has announced it intends to release a new National Defense Strategy in August.

Colby, during his nomination hearing, discussed his view that the United States should consider lesser roles in Europe and the Middle East in order to properly pivot to the Indo-Pacific region to compete with China.

Israel’s recent bombing campaign against Iran, however, is likely to impact the Trump administration’s plans for a global military posture, especially as the president reportedly weighs U.S. strikes against Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.