White House announces new deputy national security advisor

Defense News: The White House has announced Mira Ricardel will be the new deputy national security advisor.

Ricardel, a former Bush era defense official who also worked for Boeing, has been serving as undersecretary of commerce for export administration, where she had a hand in crafting the administration’s new weapon export policies.

Last year, Defense News reported on tensions between Ricardel and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis over personnel. At the time, Ricardel was working in the Office of Presidential Personnel, handling nominations for the Pentagon. Sources said Mattis felt Ricardel was unnecessarily blocking nominees at a time when the Department had not filled a single Senate-comfortable spot.

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