The Senate voted Monday to invoke Cloture with Elbridge Colby's nomination, bringing the national security strategist a step closer to confirming the Pentagon's third post, Defence Secretary for Policy.
The procedural vote, which limits discussion and raises a final confirmation vote, was passed with a margin of 53-49. Colby's nomination last month began his advance from the Armed Services Committee and was on R-Ark during the closing door voting.
The Senate voted for Elbridge Colby's cloud under the Secretary of Defense for US President Donald Trump's policy candidate (Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Colby, co-founder of the Marathon Initiative and former Deputy Director for Strategy and Force Development under the Trump administration, is best known for his role in writing the 2018 National Defense Strategy.
He has long argued that the US military needs to limit Middle Eastern resources with a pivot into the Indo-Pacific region.
Colby has gained solid support from many people in Trump's world, increasing pressure on GOP skeptics and taking part in the nomination.
Vance visits Capitol Hill and urges the senator to check out Elbridge Colby for the Pentagon number. 3 posts
US Vice President JD Vance went to Capitol Hill and urged senators to vote for Colby (Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Vice President JD Vance visited Capitol Hill last month to provide support to his “friend” Colby.
“In so many ways, Bridge predicted we were talking about 10 years on the road four, five years from now. He saw a corner where few other people were watching,” Vance said at the time.
“Looking at his long career in defence policy, he said, frankly, he knew he alienated Democrats and Republicans. He also said that both Democrats and Republicans would agree.”
During the hearing, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) questioned Colby's previously stated position. “The United States has a strong interest in protecting Taiwan, but Americans can survive without it.”
“Your view of Taiwan's importance to the US seems to have become quite soft,” Wicker told Colby.
Colby disputed this point, claiming that the US had sounded a warning that “military balance has decreased” in relations with China.
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Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark. , right, initially skeptical of Colby's nomination. (Getty Images)
“What I've been trying to fire traffic light flares is that it's important for us to focus and enable our own powers to do more for Taiwanese, Taiwanese people and Japanese people,” Colby said.
When pushed by cotton during the hearing, Colby said he believes Iran is an “existential” threat to the United States
“Yes, nuclear-armed Iran, especially the senators, I know that, given that they've been working on ICBM range capabilities and other capabilities that pose existential danger to the United States,” Colby said.
He has promised to provide the president with a “reliable and good military option” if diplomacy with Iran fails.
It was a different song from what he had sang over the past few years.
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“What's worse than the outlook for Iran, armed with nuclear weapons, is the result of using force to stop them,” Colby said in 2012.
“A lot of the things I was against at the time, these conversations 15 years ago, I felt that many of the enemies I felt had casual attitudes towards military employment, or even lighter attitudes,” Colby said. “That's a lot of what I was against. Was my language always right, or was my exact framing always right? No.”
