President-elect Trump is quickly lining up Cabinet nominees for his next administration, including China hawks and hardline Israel supporters in key national security and foreign policy roles.

But as of Tuesday evening, the key role of his next Pentagon chief remained up in the air.

A number of names have been floated in Washington, including the well-known figures in Congress — such as House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), an Army National Guard veteran — along with loyalists who held Pentagon posts during Trump's first term, such as his final acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller.

The ultimate pick will head Trump's plans to reshape the Defense Department at a time of global upheaval, with conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, an increasingly belligerent North Korea and Iran, and a China that continues to threaten Taiwan and encroach on contested areas in the Indo-Pacific.

Trump and his allies have railed against so-called “woke” policy and efforts within the U.S. military implemented by the Biden administration and lawmakers, including the renaming of military bases formerly named after Confederate generals, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy, and allowing transgender service members to join the ranks. His next Pentagon pick is sure to help dismantle many of these initiatives.

The next Pentagon chief also would step into a role that proved volatile under Trump’s last term. Five men held the job as defense secretary during that time, one of whom resigned, one who was fired, and another three who served as in-betweens but were never confirmed by the Senate.

Christopher Miller

A retired Army Special Forces officer and acting defense secretary during Trump’s final two months in the White House, Miller stands as an obvious if not reluctant pick to lead the Defense Department.

Known more recently as the author of the defense chapter of Project 2025, an outline of conservative priorities created by the Heritage Foundation think tank, Miller has also run the National........

© The Hill