US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's preferred candidate to become the Army's next chief of staff is facing mounting opposition from Republican senators, putting the nomination in doubt, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
According to the report, Hegseth has been seeking to nominate Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who has served as acting Army chief of staff since April after Hegseth fired Army chief Gen. Randy George.
Citing US officials and congressional sources, the newspaper said the nomination has stalled amid objections from Sen. Joni Ernst and other Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Because Republicans control the committee by a narrow margin, LaNeve's nomination would require unanimous Republican support to advance. Without it, the nomination is not expected to clear the panel.
The administration had planned to formally nominate LaNeve in May but delayed the move after Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker informed the White House that the votes were not there to secure committee approval, according to the report.
LaNeve, the former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, has drawn criticism from lawmakers and military experts because he has held the rank of four-star general for only about six months. Previous Army chiefs have typically served at least 18 months as four-star officers before assuming the service's top uniformed post, the Journal reported.
