WASHINGTON — The Senate held a confirmation hearing Tuesday for Kathleen Hicks. She could soon become the highest-ranking Senate-confirmed woman in U.S. military history.
Hicks is President Joe Biden's pick for deputy secretary of defense.
Before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Hicks was asked about numerous military issues, including the Navy's 30-year shipbuilding plan and its goal of getting to 355 ships.
"From the plan that was released by the Trump Administration in December, there's some really interesting operational themes that I'm attracted to," Hicks said. "There is a focus on increasing the use of autonomy. There's a focus on the dispersal of forces. And there's a focus on growing the number of small surface combatants relative to today."
Hicks is a former Obama-era deputy undersecretary of defense for policy. She also served as head of President Biden's Department of Defense transition team.
If the Senate votes for Hicks, she will be the first woman confirmed in the role, but not the first to ever be in the position. Christine Fox was appointed acting deputy secretary of defense for about five months in 2013 and 2014.