„The department’s commitment to closely partnering with the defense industry remains unwavering, and we will continue to identify and mitigate impacts from the COVID-19 national emergency to ensure readiness and modernization,“ Andrews said.
Santos announced tearfully during a Thursday morning staff call that she had been fired and would leave her post at 5 p.m. on Friday, according to one person close to the Pentagon. Santos, when reached by phone, did not have a comment.
Santos faced challenges leveraging the Defense Production Act, according to a former Pentagon official, referring to the law that allows the government to place priority orders with contractors. Congressional Democrats have criticized the Trump administration for its unwillingness during the first few months of the pandemic to fully use the DPA in its fight against the coronavirus.
The personnel change is an opportunity for the Pentagon to identify someone for that position „who has a stronger background in DPA-related issues,“ according to one defense official.
„With the department’s expected role in identifying, manufacturing and distributing a Covid vaccine, the Defense Production Act and the defense industrial base will be incredibly important,“ the official said, adding that „the department of the Navy is picking up a valuable teammate“ in Santos.
The White House has recently tried to assert more control over Pentagon hiring processes, shooting down Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s picks for certain jobs and installing Michael Cutrone, Vice President Mike Pence’s top national security aide for South Asia, in the department to vet officials’ loyalty to the president.
Santos has spent much of her tenure working on the threat of Chinese infiltration of the defense industrial base under the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States — another top priority for the administration as Trump deals with Beijing on trade.
Prior to the Pentagon job, Santos served as vice president for Air Force and DoD innovation at consulting firm Cypress International, and a professional staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Source: politico.com
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