Senate Confirms ‘Spec Ops’ nominee

WASHINGTON - The Senate confirmed Owen West as the assistant secretary of defense for special operations in a 74-23 vote [3 senators did not votes] on Dec. 18. West, a retired Marine and Goldman Sachs executive, had been stuck in limbo since July despite being seen in the defense community as a qualified candidate. In his role, West will serve as a key adviser to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on special operations issues. (Source: Defense News 12/19/17) Gulf Coast Note: The Air Forces Special Operations Command is headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Fla.