#Arnold Punaro

[muddypolitics]

(via Tommy Tuberville Is a ‘Coward,’ Says Retired General – Rolling Stone)

“I have a huge problem with what Sen. Tuberville is doing. He’s a coward, in my book. He won’t even bring an amendment to the floor and get it voted on to change the [abortion] policy,” Punaro, who is also a former staff director of the Armed Services Committee, told Politico.

The Marines lack a commanding officer for the first time in over 150 years because of Tuberville’s blockade, which Punaro described as a “pathetic” push to prioritize fundraising over national security.

“It is having an impact,” he added. “And unfortunately, the only way you can ever prove it to somebody like Sen. Tuberville — who’s never served […] you’re not going to really be able to prove it to anybody until young Marines and young soldiers die in combat because they’re not as well led.”

- Retired Two-Star Marine Corps Major General Arnold Punaro

[georgemcginn]

DoD Announces New Reserve Forces Policy Board Chair

View Online IMMEDIATE RELEASE DoD Announces New Reserve Forces Policy Board Chair Dec. 11, 2023 The Secretary of Defense appointed Honorable Col. Lisa Disbrow (Ret.) as Chair of the Reserve Forces Policy Board (RFPB) today. Disbrow succeeds Maj. Gen. Arnold L. Punaro, who retired from the Marine Corps Reserve and held the chair since 2011. The Reserve Forces Policy Board is, by law, a federal…

[globalrecon]

GRP 165-Chaos was the law of nature; Order was the dream of man: A conversation with a Marine Corps General

You can access the full episode on Apple Podcast (Apple users), or Spotify, and Anchor (Android users). Be sure to like, share, subscribe, and download the episodes. Thank you. 

My guest for this week's podcast is retired Marine Corps Major General Arnold Punaro. Punaro went on to serve for 34 years, finishing his career as the Commanding Officer of the 4th Marine Division and reaching the rank of Two Star General. He was shot during a firefight as a young Officer leading Marines against an enemy position in Vietnam.

After the war, he went to work for Senator Sam Nunn in National Security matters serving as his director of National Security Affairs and then as Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Committee. His latest book, "The Ever Shrinking Fighting Force." Highlights the issue of how more money being spent is not equating to a more effective fighting force. We discussed General Punaro's time in Vietnam, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China, and his book. Tune in.

Main Takeaways

Being shot by a sniper

CPL Roy Hammonds saves Punaro and gets killed shortly after

Working National Security for Senator Sam Nunn

Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan

Russia's invasion of Ukraine

The Ever Shrinking Fighting Force

Connect with Arnold Punaro

Website

Book

Connect With John Hendricks

www.globalrecon.net

Instagram

Music provided by Caspian:

www.caspian.band

[hellosecretblogger21]

FOX BIZ NEWS: Two-star general warns US military: 'China is on the march'

Two-star general warns US military: 'China is on the march'

Retired two-star Marine Corps Gen. Arnold Punaro discusses the concerns surrounding China building up its military forces. via FOX BUSINESS NEWS https://ift.tt/3ifqJrU

[newsnextnow]

Trump loyalty purge roils Pentagon

Trump loyalty purge roils Pentagon

“When they hear [the White House is] looking carefully at people’s bona fides, I’m sure they are looking over their shoulder a little bit,” said Arnold Punaro, the former staff director for the Senate Armed Services Committee and a retired Marine Corps major general.

Kathryn Wheelbarger, the department’s top acting official overseeing international security affairs, and Elaine McCusker, the…

[georgemcginn]

DOD Announces New Reserve Forces Policy Board Members

DOD Announces New Reserve Forces Policy Board Members

View Online IMMEDIATE RELEASE DOD Announces New Reserve Forces Policy Board Members June 22, 2022 On November 29, 2021, the Secretary of Defense directed that the Reserve Forces Policy Board (RFPB) can resume operations after his Zero Base Review, and on June 09, 2022, he appointed the following new Board members: MajGen (Ret) Arnold L. Punaro, USMCR, Chair; Ms. Margaret Sydney Ashworth; MG…

[jobsearchtips02]

In unusual offer, U.S. Treasury to obtain 30 percent of trucking company in exchange for $700 million loan

The Treasury Department revealed Wednesday that it will loan $700 million to a trucking firm that ships military devices, in exchange for having U.S. taxpayers get an almost 30 percent stake in the business.

Under the uncommon plan, the Treasury Department will offer the emergency loan to YRC Worldwide, while taking a 29.6 percent equity stake in the company. The U.S. government does not generally take ownership stakes in business but was permitted to do so by Congress as a method to make sure taxpayer funds are not misspent.

The offer is the first under a $17 billion loan program authorized as part of the wider stimulus by Congress in March. That pot of cash was allocated for firms considered “vital” to U.S. national security. Congress offered Treasury the authority to approve more than $500 billion in emergency loans to companies and cities, although the majority of that money has not been disbursed.

” We are delighted for Treasury to make this loan pursuant to the CARES Act,” Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement. “This loan will make it possible for an important vendor to the Department of Defense to preserve substantial work while providing proper compensation to taxpayers.”

YRC Worldwide, which represents more than your regional provider, is a publicly traded company headquartered in Kansas. With a fleet of about 7,600 tractors and 30,000 trailors, YRC is one of the biggest “less-than-truckload” transportation business in The United States and Canada. The 96- year-old company covers 68 percent of the armed force’s services because area, according to the Treasury Department’s statement.

The financial investment might magnify concerns over Treasury’s handling of numerous billions in taxpayer help at a turning point for the U.S. economy. Some critics have actually said Treasury’s interventions amount to a large business bailout for undeserving companies, while others have argued the money needs to be more quickly dispersed with less conditions to avoid increasing unemployment. Treasury did not invest any of the $17 billion for more than 3 months, raising concerns about the program’s effectiveness as companies sought other means of funding.

The Cares Act needs that business getting help through the $17 billion fund provide the federal government an equity stake or a warrant, a monetary instrument that allows the loan provider to claim stock at a later date.

Many defense specialists thought about those terms too difficult, defense executives and lobbyists informed The Washington Post.

” There are a lot of bells and whistles going in the wrong direction, and major aerospace companies simply aren’t interested” in the $17 billion fund, stated Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine Corps general who works as a defense consultant. “If this were a good deal for our aerospace companies, they would be utilizing it.”

Although numerous companies were financially desperate as the crisis deepened in late March and early April, many of them found other options. Many defense professionals found relief through other Cares Act programs. A handful of defense suppliers got Paycheck Protection Program loans backed by the Small company Administration, which have no equity requirement and have the option of being forgiven.

The Defense Department is spending $668 million in Defense Production Act funding on the defense industrial base. That funding is being portioned through existing, open contracts that don’t need to be renegotiated and don’t require any equity stake.

With capital markets enhancing throughout April and Might, some companies found other options through personal markets.

” When the Cares Act passed, a lot of defense business took a look at the program as a choice, but many determined that the conditions associated with the loan program were so limiting it made acquiring capital through other implies a much better option,” stated Jeff Green, a lobbyist who works with several defense companies that considered applying.

One of them was Boeing, the battered aerospace maker and defense specialist whose financial resources have been wrecked by the international slowdown in industrial air travel. Mnuchin and individuals associated with the preparing of the Cares Act have stated the $17 billion pot of money was initially intended in large part to help fortify Boeing. However the company had the ability to raise adequate funds to stay afloat through the private credit markets, which were helped by the Federal Reserve’s extraordinary steps, although it has also laid off countless employees

A Treasury statement said the loan will enable YRC to keep about 30,000 trucking jobs and “continue to support important military supply chain operations” utilized by more than 200,000 business in The United States and Canada. The department likewise mentioned a certification from the defense secretary about YRC’s crucial worth for national security. The arrangement consists of limits on executive compensation and dividend payments to investors, but Treasury has actually not revealed what those are.

Like most transport business YRC was greatly affected by the state-by-state service closures that put the national economy into stasis throughout March and April. The company completed the first quarter of 2020 with 1.15 billion in profits, down slightly from the very same period last year. Lower volume throughout its commercial freight business has actually cut into the business’s bottom line, requiring layoffs and other cost-cutting steps. But the business’s financial obligation is a bigger issue; YRC owes $825 million to different creditors, according to its most recent financial statement.

In a Might 5 call with experts, YRC chief executive Darren Hawkins thanked workers for keeping the U.S. supply chain moving despite “the undetectable opponent,” echoing a term commonly used by President Trump. He declined to take concerns from analysts, marking substantial break from typical practice.

” I do not understand of a more patriotic market than trucking, which spirit has actually stood strong in America’s transportation networks,” Hawkins stated.

In a news release Hawkins thanked Congress and the Treasury Department for offering financial help to see YRC through the crisis. “This monetary help will enable us to bridge this pandemic-related crisis and continue to supply essential shipping services for the country’s supply chain,” Hawkins said.

While it is unusual for the United States to get parts of companies, such plans are common internationally and help federal governments guarantee that taxpayers get a return for their investment. If the price of YRC’s stock goes up, taxpayers will likewise benefit as a conventional financier would. “Throughout this crisis, the government must not let companies stop working, but it likewise must not bail out the wealth of their owners. Offering loans for equity accomplishes precisely this,” stated Matt Bruenig, founder of the left-leaning Individuals’s Policy Project.

The arrangement will most likely cause criticisms that U.S. taxpayers are supplying special assistance to firms who should not receive aid. Darrick Hamilton, a teacher at Ohio State University, kept in mind the emergency aid comes as protesters in major U.S. cities are calling for cuts to spending on the police and the armed forces. The U.S. federal government currently provides more than $700 billion annually on the federal military.

” The government is supposed to be handling social welfare, however is spending cash on militarization and policing,” Hamilton stated. “This is indicative of our general worths of where we invest our cash.”

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from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/in-unusual-offer-u-s-treasury-to-obtain-30-percent-of-trucking-company-in-exchange-for-700-million-loan/

[smalltofedsblog]

For Veterans Day - Wanted: More Veterans in Congress to Break Gridlock

"Veterans would instinctively understand when mutual sacrifice was necessary to achieve a common goal” “I really do believe that,” said retired Marine Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, who has a unique perspective on Capitol Hill from his 24 years as a staffer with former Sen. Sam Nunn.

https://rosecoveredglasses.blogspot.com/2016/11/for-veterans-day-wanted-more-veterans.html

[thisdaynews]

Trump taps Army Secretary Mark Esper to lead Pentagon

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/trump-taps-army-secretary-mark-esper-to-lead-pentagon/

Trump taps Army Secretary Mark Esper to lead Pentagon

Army Secretary Mark Esper will probably face questions from Congress about his close ties to industry. | Chuck Burton/AP Photo

President Donald Trump will nominate Army Secretary Mark Esper to be the next secretary of Defense, the White House said Friday night, in the administration’s latest attempt to resolve months of uncertainty at the top of the Pentagon.

The news comes three days after the abrupt resignation of acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, whose hopes of getting the job collapsed amid ethics questions, complaints about his leadership style and media scrutiny of his troubled family history.

Story Continued Below

Trump had said in early May that he intended to nominate Shanahan for the post, but he never submitted the paperwork to the Senate.

The White House also said Friday that Trump will nominate Pentagon comptroller David Norquist — the brother of anti-tax activist Grover Norquist — to be deputy Defense secretary, and Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy to be Army secretary.

Esper, a West Point graduate and Gulf War veteran, is already set to become acting Defense secretary when Shanahan’s resignation takes effect on Sunday. But federal law may force him to bow out of that post once Trump formally nominates him.

Esper has been secretary of the Army since November 2017,after spending seven years as a top lobbyist for defense contractor Raytheon. He also worked on Capitol Hill as national security adviser for former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and as a professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Much like Shanahan, who was a long-time Boeing executive, Esper will probably face questions from Congress about his close ties to industry — one of the key sticking points when senators previously considered Esper’s nomination to be Army secretary. Esper has recused himself from matters involving Raytheon for two years, but that period will end in November.

One of the biggest issues could be whether he will need to sit out negotiations with Turkey over its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system. The U.S. has been urging Russia to buy the American Patriot missile defense system instead, which is made by Raytheon, and some defense experts have said Esper could not advocate for buying a system from his former employer.

Another complication is the Vacancies Act, a 1998 law that lays out the succession rules for a Senate-confirmed position within the administration.

Under that law,Esper cannot serve as acting Defense secretary while the Senate is consideringhis nomination to be the permanent secretary. Under the Pentagon’s order of succession, the new actingDefense secretary would probably be Navy Secretary Richard Spencer.

Trump would have to nominate Esper before July 30, because the act says a position can have an acting official for only 210 days. That clock began running when former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned effective Jan. 1, according to a memo from Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine officer and CEO of The Punaro Group consulting firm.

As Army secretary, Esper has been a close ally to the president, including on the deployment of active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. But he has differed from the president on other issues, including Trump’s ban on transgender service members. Esper testified last year alongside Gen. Mark Milley, who has been nominated to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that no readiness concerns arise from letting transgender troops serve.

Esper received a commission as an infantry officer after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1986. He also served in the National Guard and Army reserves before retiring in 2007, according to his Army biography.

Read More

[smalltofedsblog]

A retired two-star general has come up with a new explanation for what’s wrong with Congress Not enough veterans in the House and Senate.“Veterans would instinctively understand when mutual sacrifice was necessary to achieve a common goal" I really do believe that,” said retired Marine Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, who has a unique perspective on the ways and mores of Capitol Hill from his 24 years as a staffer with former Sen. Sam Nunn, a Georgia Democrat and an iconic figure on defense issues as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.