Manchin Introduces West Virginia Air National Guardsman During Nomination Hearing For Department Of Defense Role

 

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), introduced Mr. Christopher P. Maier, nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict during the SASC nomination hearing. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict is the principal civilian advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense on matters such as counterterrorism, crisis response, recruiting and retaining talent and more. Mr. Maier currently serves as an Intelligence Officer in the 130^th Airlift Wing of the Air National Guard based in Charleston, West Virginia.

 

“I consider it an honor to serve on this Committee with all of you, and to have this opportunity to introduce a nominee I believe will excel within the Department of Defense. The position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict has grown into a central figure within the DoD due to the demands we’ve placed on our Special Operations Forces through constant deployments in support of a wide range of missions, including: counterterrorism, direct action, civil affairs, and preventing the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. We depend on these elite units to always be ready to answer the call while maintaining the highest levels of quiet professionalism, and our nominee today certainly exemplifies those requirements.

 

“Chris Maier has had a distinguished career in public service, spanning five Presidential Administrations, both Democratic and Republican, but just as important is his career within the Air National Guard. I’m very proud to say that Chris currently serves as a member of the 130th Airlift Wing out of Charleston, West Virginia as an Intelligence Officer. After a stint on the National Security Council from 2009 to 2013, which is notorious for round-the-clock work and constant burnout, he decided that he hadn’t had enough and enlisted with the 130th the same year he finished his assignment on the NSC. Further demonstrating his commitment, he deployed multiple times with the 130th to Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Not to mention the monthly trips back to West Virginia, which I can tell you from personal experience, that the drive is beautiful but it’s still long.

 

“I felt a personal responsibility to highlight his service in the Air National Guard not because it is a direct connection back to my state, but more importantly, because I believe it speaks volumes of Chris’s character and commitment. The ability to rise to the challenge of demands within a civilian and military career, and the institutional knowledge he has gained from working at the National Counterterrorism Center, to most recently leading the Defeat-ISIS Task Force as its Director, will certainly be needed as we continue to realign to Global Power Competition with our near-peer adversaries across a number of domains. Our Special Operations Forces are very familiar with providing flexible support to our National Security objectives, but the next few years will require a leader who can set a clear example for what is expected of them.

 

“I have no doubt that Chris Maier will set that example. He exemplifies the impartiality of our civilian leaders and the sacrifice of our military leaders. I wish him, his wife Emily, and their son Lincoln the best of luck through this daunting process. For these reasons and many more, I will be supporting his nomination, and I encourage each and every one of my colleagues to do the same.”