The Senate confirmed Jules “Jay” Hurst III as the Pentagon’s comptroller on Friday with a party-line vote. This confirmation comes after the department went around a year and a half without a confirmed Chief Financial Officer. Hurst, who had performed as the acting controller since August of the previous year until May, secured confirmation in an en bloc of nominees, winning a 51-47 vote.
Hurst, a former Army officer, will take charge of the department’s budgets and spending plans. This confirmation aligns with the Trump administration’s efforts to persuade Congress to approve a $1.5 trillion defense budget. Hurst’s experience spans multiple deployments to Afghanistan as an intelligence officer and prior roles as assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs. He also served as undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
Earlier, Hurst worked as a legislative director and defense advisor to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). He updated Congress on the cost of the Iran war, estimating in May the figure had increased to close to $29 billion. In late July, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth informed senators that the cost of the Middle East conflict had grown to $37.5 billion.
In the same voting session, Erich Hernandez-Baquero was confirmed as the Air Force’s assistant secretary for space acquisition and integration.
Related Developments
In recent developments affecting defense and national security, the U.S. Army removed Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza from his role commanding the Army’s V Corps in Europe. This occurred nearly two months prior to his scheduled command’s end, as disclosed by two U.S. officials under anonymity.
The Senate passed a bipartisan bill imposing stricter sanctions on Russia and its top five oil buyers, extending sanctions on Iran. This legislation was championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who unexpectedly passed earlier in the month. The 86-11 vote followed ongoing negotiations among senators.
President Trump reaffirmed his support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth even after reported disagreements over military munition reserves during the Iran conflict. Trump dismissed the criticisms as unfounded in a Truth Social post.
In South Korea, a U.S. military investigation concluded no white phosphorus leak occurred at Osan Air Base, after local authorities had evacuated the area at the end of July.
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