As his inauguration looms, so does a potential national security crisis. That is, Donald Trump’s team may be further behind with the transition that folks realized with several key positions in his administration, particularly those spots that aim to keep our country safe, left empty. Bloomberg reports how, out of 690 overall positions requiring Senate confirmation, Trump has only filled 28 of them. Many of the vacancies are top-level foreign policy or national security slots.
Since his election win, Trump’s transition team took its time contacting the State Department, and the abrupt departure of National Security Advisor Mike Rogers only confounded matters more. Plus, his beef with the intelligence community certainly didn’t help the situation. Foreign Policy reports how the Trump team has not named senior deputies for the State or Homeland Security departments, which has officials nervous about what will happen in the event of a security catastrophe:
“The delays and dysfunction threaten to cripple the incoming administration from the outset and raise the risk the White House will present confused or contradictory policies to the outside world. Without his team in place, the new president will likely be unprepared should an early-term crisis erupt abroad, or an adversary test the new administration’s mettle, said former officials who served in both Republican and Democratic administrations.
The positions still to be filled include senior management and policy posts that oversee diplomacy, military budgets, nuclear weapons, counterterrorism, and media relations, said Obama administration officials, congressional staffers and people familiar with the transition.”
With an arsenal of savvy and seasoned security officials available for positions, it’s odd that Trump’s team wouldn’t have filled slots yet. Politico notes how some believe grudges may be to blame:
“One problem driving Trump’s personnel shortage, sources said, is that the Trump team is limited by its refusal to hire from the many dozens of foreign policy veterans who signed letters opposing the mogul during the presidential campaign. Trump aides have also said they are trying to avoid choosing from the usual pool of Washington insiders with deep foreign policy experience situated at think tanks.”
It’s past the home stretch and the inauguration is here. USA Today reports that Trump will keep about 50 Obama staffers around, at least for awhile, but hopefully, he will get his team situated soon.
(Via Foreign Policy, USA Today & Bloomberg & Politico)