The U.S. Senate has confirmed Elbridge Colby to be the Defense Department’s policy chief, bringing to the Pentagon’s No. 3 post a known China hawk and advocate for Asian allies — including Japan — to spend more on defense.
The Senate voted 54-45 in favor of Colby to be the new undersecretary of defense for policy, a vote that was largely along party lines.
Colby, who served as U.S. President Donald Trump’s deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development during the president’s first term, has also been a strong advocate for the U.S. military to shift its focus from Europe and the Middle East to China — especially in terms of preventing conflict with Beijing over self-ruled Taiwan.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.