“It was about timing, not that it was women,” Miller, who served as acting Secretary of Defense for nearly three months, said in an interview.
Had Mr Trump won re-election, General Milley would most likely have sent the recommendations to the White House for approval, hoping for the best. But the General and Mr. Esper felt that under a Biden administration, the selection process was faced with a smoother selection process.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Austin could always select other candidates, but Mr. Esper and General Milley were confident that the new team would confirm their selection, which had been reviewed and evaluated over several months.
Col. Dave Butler, spokesman for General Milley, declined to comment on the article.
General Van Ovost is already a four-star officer who heads the Air Force Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Of the 43 four-star generals and admirals in the US military, she is the only woman. General Van Ovost, a seasoned Air Force Academy graduate who was selected to lead the multiservice transport command, also located at Scott Air Force Base, played out her strengths.
General Richardson is the three-star commander of the Army component of the Pentagon’s North Command in San Antonio, which plays an important role in the military support for FEMA’s Covid vaccination program.
“Very capable, great team builder,” said Anthony R. Ierardi, a retired commander of the Army’s First Cavalry Division, which included General Richardson, in an email. “Get things done.”
