The key criteria for those in the top-tier positions appear to be loyalty, wealth, and ideological fervor, not competence.

Austin III (Secretary Austin), to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks (Deputy ... that afternoon, his staff directed a transfer of authorities to Deputy Secretary Hicks.

A Defense official ... “Not only did Secretary Austin not tell Deputy Secretary Hicks or his senior staff about his medical condition or appointments, he specifically told one junior staff ...

But Austin “did not transfer his authorities” during that period, the review found, nor did he inform Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks or his chief of staff of the procedures.

Salesses is the deputy director of the Washington ... operational services at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and various departments in the military, defense ...

A senior defense official told reporters shortly ... The inspector general found no evidence that Austin told the deputy secretary or his chief of staff he was undergoing the procedures.

Neither Austin’s chief of staff nor Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks knew of his cancer diagnosis or the procedure he underwent in December 2023. In fact, OIG notes that "nearly all of ...

The inspector general found that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks ... A review of some texts between his staff showed frustration — including his chief of ...

Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Shawn G. Skelly stressed equitable military hiring practices as crucial to national security at a Jan. 13 event. Rebecca D. Patterson, the ...