McHugh confirmation hearing to begin today - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

McHugh confirmation hearing to begin today

A Senate confirmation hearing for Rep. John McHugh, President Barack Obama’s nominee to be the next secretary of the Army, will begin Thursday morning.

McHugh, 60, a Republican from upstate New York whose district includes Fort Drum, is known as a staunch supporter of the military and has visited the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan several times.

If confirmed, he will replace outgoing Army Secretary Pete Geren, who has been the Army’s top civilian official since July 2007.

Known for his bipartisanship over his 16 years in Congress, McHugh joined with Democrats to push for bigger military pay raises and more generous benefits, even as the Bush administration argued that weapons modernization programs were suffocating under the weight of personnel costs.

He supported a big and permanent increase in the size of the Army when he sensed the strain of multiple and extended tours was sapping morale from troops and their families, although top Pentagon officials said being saddled with a large active-duty force was going to make budget problems even worse.

McHugh also led opposition to Defense Department efforts to dramatically increase Tricare fees for military retirees and their families.

Also up for confirmation by the Senate Armed Services Committee is Joseph W. Westphal, who has been nominated to be Army undersecretary. In 1998 he was confirmed by the Senate as assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, and in 2001 Westphal served briefly as acting secretary of the Army. Westphal is currently on leave from his position as university system professor of political science at the University of Maine.