Trump reveals picks for defense, artificial intelligence roles and more

President-elect Donald Trump launched a series of nominations Sunday night, naming several new people to serve in his incoming administration.

In several posts on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump introduced various experts who work in the White House on issues from defense to technology to the budget. The Republican leader began by naming Stephen Alexander Vaden as his nominee for deputy secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

“In my first term, Stephen was general counsel to the Department of Agriculture and a board member of the Commodity Credit Corporation, where he won two cases before the United States Supreme Court, moved and reorganized the agencies that make up the Department to better serve rural America, and engaged in significant regulatory reform,” Trump wrote in the post.

“Stephen joined the USDA on the first day of my first term and left in December 2020 after being nominated by me and confirmed by the US Senate to continue serving the American people as an Article III judge at the Court of International Trade,” he added is. “Judge Stephen Vaden lives in Union City, Tennessee, where he helps manage his family farm. Congratulations Stephen!”

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After his first announcement, Trump appointed a “panel of America First Patriots” to work with Pete Hegseth, his defense secretary nominee and former “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host. Trump nominated Stephen Feinberg to be the next deputy secretary of defense and said Feinberg would “help make the Pentagon great again.”

“A highly successful businessman, Stephen is a Princeton graduate who founded his company Cerberus in 1992,” Trump wrote. “In addition to his leadership at Cerberus, from 2018 to January 2021, Stephen served as Chairman of my Intelligence Advisory Board.”

The newly elected president continued with the names Elbridge “The Bridge” Colby as his choice for Deputy Minister of Defense for Policy.

“A highly respected advocate of our America First foreign and defense policy, Bridge will work closely with my outstanding nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to restore our military might and achieve my policy of PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump said, noting that Colby graduated from Harvard University and Yale Law School.

“Bridge has served with distinction at the Pentagon in my first term, leading the effort on my landmark 2018 defense strategy … and will be a great addition to my team to make America great again!”

Trump then named Michael Duffey and Emil Michael as his picks for undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, respectively.

“Mike will drive change at the Pentagon and, as a staunch advocate for an approach to America’s national defense, will work to revitalize our defense industrial base and rebuild our military,” Trump said of Duffey.

Trump added that Emil Michael “will ensure our military has the most technologically sophisticated weapons in the world, while saving our taxpayers a LOT of money.”

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“Emil graduated from Harvard University and has a law degree from Stanford,” Trump wrote. “He is one of the most respected leaders in the technology business and will be a champion for the troops and our Great Country.”

For his next defense-related pick, Trump has announced Keith Bass as his nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, and that Joe Kasper will serve as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense. Kasper worked in the first Trump administration in support roles, except on Capitol Hill.

Bass, a retired Navy commander, “will lead the command to keep our troops healthy and receiving the best possible medical care,” Trump said.

Trump then announced Scott Kupor as his choice to be director of the Office of Personnel Management. Trump noted that Kupor was the first employee at Andreessen Horowitz, the venture capital firm where he is now a managing partner.

“Scott will bring much-needed reform to our federal workforce. Scott is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford University, with a degree in public policy,” Trump wrote. “He also has a law degree, cum laude, from Stanford University. Congratulations Scott!”

In his latest set of nominations, the Republican president-elect announced his picks for tech-related roles. Trump began the appointment Michael JK Kratsios as his new director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Kratsios, who will also serve as assistant to the president for science and technology, holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University. Trump pointed out that he was previously, among other things, the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering at the Pentagon.

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Trump added that Dr. Lynne Parker to be Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and Advisor to the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

“Dr. Parker previously served as the US Deputy CTO and Founding Director of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office,” Trump said. “She got her PhD in computer science from MIT.”

Trump’s last two elections were Bo Hines and Sriram Krishnan. Hines will serve as executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, which Trump described as “a new advisory group made up of crypto industry giants.”

“In his new role, Bo will work with David to drive innovation and growth in the digital asset space while ensuring industry leaders have the resources they need to succeed,” Trump wrote, adding that Krishnan will serve as a senior policy advisor to artificial intelligence. in the Office of Science and Technology Policy of the White House.

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“Working closely with David Sacks, Sriram will focus on ensuring continued US leadership in artificial intelligence and help shape and coordinate government-wide AI policy, including working with the President’s Council of Science and Technology Advisors,” Trump wrote. “Sriram started his career at Microsoft as a co-founder of Windows Azure.”