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New SECAF Nomination - Heather Wilson


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https://www.airforcetimes.com/articles/trump-secaf-heather-wilson-nominated

President Trump intends to nominate Heather Wilson, a former New Mexico representative and a graduate of the Air Force Academy, to be the next Air Force secretary.

Wilson is now president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, South Dakota, a position she has held since 2013.

"Heather Wilson is going to make an outstanding secretary of the Air Force," Trump said in a statement Monday announcing his planned nomination. "Her distinguished military service, high level of knowledge, and success in so many different fields gives me great confidence that she will lead our nation's Air Force with the greatest competence and integrity."

In the statement, Wilson, a Keene, New Hampshire, native, pledged to help make a stronger Air Force.

"America and our vital national interests continue to be threatened," Wilson said. "I will do my best, working with our men and women in the military, to strengthen American air and space power to keep the country safe."

If confirmed, Wilson would be the first Air Force Academy graduate to ever serve as secretary. She graduated in 1982, as part of the third class to admit women in academy history. She also was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in England, where she studied international relations and earned masters and doctoral degrees.

She would replace former Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, who left office on Friday with the Obama administration.

The Trump administration statement said Wilson, who comes from a family of aviators, served as an officer in Europe, and is an instrument rated private pilot.

According to her House biography, Wilson left the Air Force in 1989 to join the National Security Council as its director for European defense policy and arms control. She represented New Mexico in the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2009, and chaired the House Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence. She also served on the House Armed Services Committee and was a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

She tried to run for former New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici's seat in 2008, but lost the Republican primary and retired from the House when the 110th Congress concluded.

Wilson has three grown children with her husband, Jay Hone, who is a retired Air Force colonel.

Trump has not yet announced his pick for Navy secretary. His choice to head the Army, Vincent Viola, has not yet been confirmed.

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John Q. Public was less than than impressed.....

https://www.jqpublicblog.com/revolving-door-politician-tapped-secretary-air-force/

 

Her nomination is likely to face some opposition. She was at the center of a Department of Energy Inspector General investigation into the almost half a million dollars paid to her company by four nuclear laboratories in 2009.

Shortly after leaving Congress, Wilson established consulting contracts with the four nuclear labs—Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Nevada National Security Site—generating over $450,000 for Heather Wilson and Company, LLC., between 2009 and 2011 -according to a report by the Project on Government Oversight.

The investigation found almost no documentation of any services provided by her company.  Despite the investigation finding almost no evidence of consultation being provided, her company -in which she was the only employee- kept almost half a million dollars after repaying $442,877 of taxpayer funds.

According to a report by the Albuquerque Journal, when Wilson left Congress on January 3, 2009, she began working for Sandia National Laboratories for $10,000 a month the very next day.

Edited by Blue
added quote from JQP....
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8 hours ago, FUSEPLUG said:

Just wait until PA squeezes her into a flightsuit for her Thunderbird ride-along debut. You're gonna miss Debby Lee when that happens...

I'd prefer that the President pick the next SECAF based on their ability, not their looks.  If Mrs. Wilson spends half the time managing personnel that SECAF James spent taking selfies, it'll be an improvement.

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18 hours ago, Blue said:

when Wilson left Congress on January 3, 2009, she began working for Sandia National Laboratories for $10,000 a month the very next day.

So?  Your average retired on active duty Lt Col makes this much.

At least she knows what an Air Force is...

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 1/26/2017 at 1:59 AM, Don Frank said:

So... What did she do in the Air Force?

Per Wikipedia...

Quote

An Air Force officer for seven years, Wilson was a negotiator and political adviser to the U.S Air Force in England, and a defense planning officer for NATO in Belgium, where her work included arms control negotiations

She has a master’s and doctoral degrees in international relations from Oxford University in England, 1985.

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57 minutes ago, skibum said:

All that to say she was a shoe.

You should probably read a little about her.  She has done very well, and appears to be quite respected for her abilities.  

 

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