Wormuth Confirmed

The Senate Periodical Press Gallery just tweeted that the full Senate had confirmed Christine Wormuth via voice vote to become the next head of the Pentagon's policy shop.

Wormuth is the top author of the most recent Quadrennial Defense Review. Wormuth, until now the Pentagon's deputy under secretary for strategy, plans and force development, said at an April 3 House Armed Services Committee hearing that the document was cast in a way that allows the U.S. military to deal with Russia's annexation of Crimea and other recent events in Eastern Europe. As InsideDefense.com reported:

"While we probably would have added some additional sentences to talk more pointedly about the situation with Russia, fundamentally I don't think we would have changed the strategy," she said.

Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Vice Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) brought up Wormuth's comments at an April 8 hearing on Russian military developments, InsideDefense.com reported in the same story:

[Derek Chollet, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs,] and Joint Staff Director for Strategic Plans and Policy Vice Adm. Frank Pandolfe concurred with her assessment that there is little to change about the QDR. Neither said the QDR should be rewritten.

"We adjust as we go, but I think fundamentally the strategy, as prescribed in the QDR, is correct and that they have done a very nice job of looking around the world at the contending interests and values," Pandolfe said.

Russia is mentioned several times in the QDR, with most references relating to its obligations under the New START treaty. On the topic of European security, the QDR states that America is willing to undertake security cooperation with Russia, both in a bilateral context and in addressing regional challenges -- especially on the challenges posed by Syria and Iran.