Exclusive: U.S. Air Force Secretary Wilson to quit, eyes return to academia
WASHINGTON - U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, who was considered a top candidate to become the next secretary of defense, has decided to resign after almost two years to return to academia, U.S. officials told Reuters, leaving another vacant post at the top level of the Pentagon.
“It has been a privilege to serve alongside our Airmen over the past two years and I am proud of the progress that we have made in restoring our nation’s defenses,” Wilson, 58, said in her resignation letter, a copy of which was seen by Reuters. The resignation leaves another senior Pentagon job open and follows the December departure of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who quit over policy differences with Trump and had picked Wilson for the job.
“Everyone she has talked to wants her to stay but she thinks the time is right to take on this new challenge,” the U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. After joining the Pentagon, Wilson visited Iraq and Afghanistan and came away concerned about the wear-and-tear on an Air Force that she thought was too small, especially as the Pentagon shifted its focus to competition with Russia and China.
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