Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Service Committee, has come out in strong support of Erin Conaton’s nomination to be the undersecretary of the Air Force and encouraged his Senate colleagues to move quickly to confirm her nomination. In a release Tuesday, the same day that the White House announced her candidacy to fill the long-vacant post, Skelton said Conaton “has consistently demonstrated her leadership ability, mastery of national security issues, and dedication to our men and women in uniform” since she became the committee’s majority staff director in 2007. Her work ethic is “unparalleled,” he said. But “more importantly, she has a rare gift for getting along with people,” and she is “unflappable and approaches every challenge with a level head,” he continued. Skelton called her “a trusted advisor and friend.”
The Senate Armed Services Committee this week released the full text of its version of the 2026 defense policy bill—often referred to as the National Defense Authorization Act—that would allow the Air Force and Space Force to spend billions of dollars more than the services had sought for next year.