[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 5, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S1101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Ronald T. Keohane

  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.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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