Nomination for DoD’s chief management officer heads to the Senate

WASHINGTON — The White House has delivered to the Senate the nomination of Lisa Hershman to be the Pentagon’s chief management officer.

The nomination was sent Monday evening, according to an announcement on the White House’s website. The CMO position was created by Congress during a round of recent reforms, and it was elevated to the No. 3 job in the department’s chain of command.

Capital Hill’s intention was to empower the CMO to find efficiencies inside the Department of Defense. Hershman told Defense News in February that the department cleared nearly $5 billion in savings during fiscal 2018 — the result of 114 potential projects identified by the CMO’s office.

The Pentagon has been charged by the Office of Management and Budget to find $46 billion in savings between FY19 and FY23.

Hershman has been serving as acting CMO since Dec. 1, 2018, when then-CMO Jay Gibson was forced out of the position. She reportedly works well with David Norquist, the comptroller who was nominated for deputy secretary of defense.

The Pentagon previously said Hershman will step down as acting CMO and resume her work as deputy CMO when the nomination arrives at the Senate.

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