US President-elect Joe Biden would take a historic step and choose a woman to lead the Pentagon for the first time, according to the Associated Press.
The move shall eliminate one of the few remaining obstacles to women in the Defense Ministry and government positions.
The politically moderate Pentagon veteran Michele Flournoy is believed to be the top choice for the job, according to U.S. officials and political insiders.
Her selection would come on the heels of a tumultuous Pentagon period, that has seen five men hold the top job under President Donald Trump.
Mark Esper was the most recent defense secretary to go was, who was fired by Trump on Monday after pushing back on issues including troop withdrawals and the use of the military to quell civilian unrest.
If Biden actually chose Flournoy, she would face a future that is expected to include reducing the Pentagon's budget and possible interference by the military in distributing the Corona vaccine, the press added.
Flournoy has been outspoken on American foreign and defense policy over the past year. She favors closer international cooperation after four years of a Trump’s policy in the White House, which was more distrustful and critical of allies.
“Whoever the next president is, whether it's a second Trump term or Vice President Biden or whoever it is, one of the top agenda items is going to try to, I think, repair some of that perception'' that America may no longer be a reliable partner,” she stated in March. “But I don't think it's going to be easy or happen overnight. I think it's going to take a lot of work over a number of years to recover that trust and that standing.''
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