The head of the Senate Armed Services Committee is calling on the Pentagon avoid making any policy changes through the end of the current administration, prompting the department to say it will continue its work as appropriate. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) sent a letter Tuesday to Defense Secretary Ash Carter calling on him to not make any decisions “that would change long-standing policy, including with regard to military personnel ratings, standards, uniforms, job titles, and related issues.” Defense Department leadership has made “questionable and misguided” decisions, and any more policy changes in a lame-duck term would be “inappropriate,” McCain said. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook during a Tuesday briefing said Carter will continue to do his job and make appropriate decisions “through the end of his term.”
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
