Donald Trump, who won the US presidential election, could name businesswoman Tra Stevens or billionaire investor Stephen Feinberg as US deputy secretary of defense, the Wall Street Journal reports citing sources.
The newspaper recalls that Stevens is co-founder of the defense technology company Anduril Industries, and Feinberg founded one of the largest private equity funds in the world, Cerberus Capital Management. The publication suggests that the appointment of one of them will be a good sign for the startups that have appeared in the defense sector in recent years.
“Tre Stevens, partner at multi-billion-dollar venture capital firm Founders Fund Peter Thielis being considered by… Trump for the position of Deputy Secretary of Defense. Also being considered is billionaire Stephen Feinberg, who led the President’s Intelligence Advisory Council during Trump’s first term (in 2016).” — notes the publication, citing two sources.
The Wall Street Journal notes that both Stevens and Feinberg pushed to invest in areas where they felt the US government was not acting quickly enough. Feinberg decided to invest in hypersonic technology, concerned that the United States was falling behind competitors like China. According to the publication, Stevens also warned that American defense companies have lost their advantage while China is innovating faster.
According to the publication, in addition to Stevens and Feinberg, other candidates are also being considered.
