Sen. James Inhofe
WASHINGTON: A top defense Democrat’s fate is in the balance as Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan runs neck-and-neck with GOP businessman and former Army helicopter pilot John James in Michigan. Peters is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee.
Personnel subcommittee chair Tom Tillis is also locked in a tight race with his Democratic challenger, and the race has yet to be called.
The Democrats did lose one SASC member when Alabama Sen. Doug Jones lost decisively to Republican opponent Tommy Tuberville.
The GOP appears to have lost Martha McSally, the Air Force’s first combat-tested female fighter pilot from the SASC. Astronaut and retired Navy Captain Mark Kelly looks to have won her Senate seat in Arizona, though McSally had not conceded by this afternoon while votes are still being tallied.
Perhaps the biggest shock to the defense community was the victory of Sen. Susan Collins this afternoon. Collins was widely considered a highly vulnerable moderate Republican, but Maine’s Sara Gideon conceded the race today. That is good news for Bath Iron Works, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Saco Defense and Pratt & Whitney, for whom Collins — also a member of the powerful Appropriations and Intelligence Committees — has been a powerful supporter.
With the Republicans apparently able to stave off Democrat’s attempts to take control of the body, the chairmanship of the SASC and other defense committees will remain in the hands of the GOP. At the top of the Senate Armed Services Committee, chairman Jim Inhofe and ranking member Jack Reed both won their races easily, leaving the leadership of the committee intact if Republicans continue to hold the chamber. The chair of the SASC emerging threats subcommittee, Republican Joni Ernst of Iowa, survived a tough reelection challenge to eke out a victory for her second term. She’ll presumably remain her chairmanship.
In the House, Democratic Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Adam Smith won easily in Washington State — he’ll have to wait to see who his ranking member is as Republican Mac Thornberry retired. His seat is being filled by former White House physician Ronny Jackson.
Republican Rep. Dan Sullivan’s race in Alaska remains too close to call. He has used his chairmanship of the Readiness subcommittee to very publicly press for more Navy and Coast Guard assets in his state. His position has grown increasingly important as the Pentagon looks to shift attention to the Arctic as China and Russia push their own assets into the High North.
Democrat Joe Courtney won reelection to the House in Connecticut while Republican Rob Wittman won in Virginia, returning the influential HASC seapower and projection forces subcommittee’s chairman and ranking member, respectively. The two men have long had a close working relationship, and they’ll be front and center as the White House and Navy push for a 500-ship fleet, with hundreds of new unmanned ships, to counter China. Navy veteran Elaine Luria kept her district blue with her win in Virginia, as well.
The HASC Democrats lost New Mexico HASC member Xochitl Torres Small, a first-term lawmaker who served as a co-chair of the House Democratic National Security Task Force.
A major overhaul is coming in software for missile warning
Space Systems Command’s FORGE program is the first, major missile-warning software modernization effort in 20 years.
France, Germany ink deal on way ahead for ‘completely new’ future European tank
Defense ministers from both countries hailed progress on industrial workshare for a project that they say “will be a real technological breakthrough in ground combat systems.”
