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Floor Speech

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise in support of tonight's vote to move forward the nomination of Mr. Ronald Keohane to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

I need not remind my colleagues, with the instability throughout the world right now, how critical it is to ensure that strong civilian leadership is in place across the Department and the military services.

As the Commissioner of the National Defense Strategy concluded, ``The implementation of the National Defense Strategy must feature empowered civilians fulfilling their statutory responsibilities, particularly regarding issues of forced management. Strong civilian oversight is the central hallmark of U.S. civil-military relations, codified in the Constitution and embraced throughout the Nation's history.''

Mr. Keohane was reported out of the committee not once but twice--the first time on March 23, 2023, and then again this conference on February 8, 2024. Both times, he was reported out by voice vote with no one asking to be recorded as a no. To my knowledge, no one has raised any objections to his qualifications. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs is the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness on all matters related to civilian and military personnel policies, reserve integration, military community and family policy, and total force planning and requirements. Additionally, the Assistant Secretary exercises day-to-day supervision of the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Defense Commissary Agency, and provides oversight of the Armed Forces Retirement Homes.

Confirming Mr. Keohane is critical. The military's greatest asset is its people, and filling this void will help the Department navigate the myriad challenges associated with managing the total force--military and civil workforces--to field the most lethal military in the world, especially considering unprecedented recruiting challenges at the moment.

Mr. Keohane is being held not by reason of his qualifications, which are extensive, but because of the position for which he has been nominated has oversight of some matters that a few of my Republican colleagues find objectionable.

Mr. Keohane has previously served in the Department of Defense and other Federal Agencies, making him eminently qualified for this position. Notably, he previously served as the Department Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy in the Obama administration, where he was awarded the Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service.

I urge my colleagues to vote yes to move this well-qualified individual with extensive experience--to move this nomination forward so we can do more to assist our men and women in the field by providing the kind of policy and direction that an experienced and already recognized talented individual can lend to the Department of Defense.

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