WASHINGTON — The Senate has confirmed Gen. Joseph Dunford’s nomination for a second term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
By voice vote on Wednesday, the Senate backed the highly respected, combat-hardened commander who’s received high marks from Republicans and Democrats. The vote came shortly after the Armed Services Committee had approved the nomination.
Dunford completes his first term Sept. 30. The committee held his confirmation hearing Tuesday, with just days to spare to give him another tour of duty.
Trump in May nominated Dunford to serve a second two-year term as chairman as most military leaders serve two terms. President Barack Obama had tapped Dunford for the job.
Dunford took over as chairman on Oct. 1, 2015, after one year as commandant of the Marine Corps.
The Missile Defense Agency awarded contracts to Raytheon and Northrop Grumman to continue development of its Glide Phase Interceptor designed to take out hypersonic threats.
The aid is part of the $40 billion in security and economic assistance passed last month by Congress.
Despite hours of sometimes intense debate, the measure advanced out of committee on a bipartisan 57-1 vote.
Although legged robots have existed for several years, in order to be deployed, they would need to adapt in real-time to unseen scenarios such as changing terrains, changing payloads and wear and tear.
House lawmakers on Wednesday offered new and conflicting plans for defense spending next year, setting up intense congressional debate in coming months over what the right level of military funding for fiscal 2023 should be.