GOP senators sharply question Pentagon nominee about Biden administration’s foreign policies

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate hearing on the nomination of the official to be the Pentagon’s top policy adviser was dominated by Republicans expressing their frustrations with the Biden administration’s foreign policies. Among the issues raised by senators were the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, additional aid for Ukraine, security at the U.S.-Mexico border and climate change. Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee sharply questioned nominee Derek Chollet, who’s been serving as the counselor for the State Department. Chollet has been been nominated to be the next undersecretary of defense for policy. He served previously in the Pentagon as assistant secretary for international security from 2012 to 2015.