UNITED STATES
A top official in the US Pentagon is leaving his Senate-confirmed post to work for Republican Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell.
Assistant Defence Secretary for International Security Affairs, Robert Karem (pictured) leaves his Pentagon policy job 18 months after the Senate confirmed him to advise Mr McConnell and the Senate Republican Conference on matters of national security, foreign policy, defence and the intelligence community.
Mr Karem is a former staffer to Mr McConnell and other Republican leaders in Congress.
He replaces Thomas Hawkins, who left the Senate Majority Leader’s office to join vehicle manufacturer Oshkosh last month as its Senior Vice-President for Government Relations.
The departure leaves a void at the Pentagon, where Mr Karem served as the Principal Adviser to Defence Secretary, Jim Mattis on policies relating to the Middle East, Europe (including NATO), Russia, Eurasia, Africa and the Western Hemisphere.
His tenure coincides with a pivot at the Pentagon towards Russia and China, and greater Congressional scrutiny of the military’s role in places such as Niger and Yemen.
The Pentagon said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs, Katie Wheelbarger would take over the job on an acting basis.
Though it is rare for a Pentagon political appointee to leave for a Senate staff position, Mr Karem’s new job in Congress will cover the breadth of defence issues, including budgetary matters.
Arnold Punaro, a former Marine Corps Lieutenant General who served as a Senate Armed Services Committee Staff Director from 1987 to 1997 said it was a very influential position.
Mr Karem made headlines for his Capitol Hill testimony when he said while the US troop presence in Syria was aimed at defeating the Islamic State group, it also had the “residual benefits” of deterring Iran.
The statement came amid concerns troops who were not authorised to confront Iran might nonetheless be drawn into a conflict with far-reaching implications.
Washington, DC, 30 October 2018
