Nominee for Air Force secretary says his desire for the job is fueled by competition with China
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Buy PhotoFrank Kendall III, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, listens during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, April 26, 2016. Kendall has been nominated by President Joe Biden to be the next Air Force secretary. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
Frank Kendall, President Joe Biden’s nominee for Air Force secretary, told senators on Tuesday that he was driven to return to the Defense Department by concerns over China’s improving battlefield technology.
Kendall, who served as the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer under former President Barack Obama, listed ensuring the Air Force and Space Force retained military advantage over any potential foe among his top priorities, if confirmed. He recalled a “highly classified” 2010 Pentagon meeting in which he first learned of China’s push to improve its military capabilities in an eye-opening effort “to defeat the ability of the United States to project power near China.”