Former State Rep. Juan Garcia Nominated To Be Assistant Secretary Of Navy

http://www.caller.com/news/2009/apr/29/garcia-urged-for-suggested-fdgdfdf/">Corpus Christi Caller-Times 4/29/09
Garcia urged for U.S. position
Nomination due as an assistant secretary of Navy

CORPUS CHRISTI — President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced his intention to nominate Corpus Christi attorney and former state representative Juan Garcia as an assistant secretary of the Navy.

Garcia needs to be confirmed by the Senate Armed Services Committee and the full Senate before assuming the position.

The White House issued a news release Wednesday evening announcing Garcia’s nomination for the assistant secretary overseeing manpower and reserve affairs. Garcia, 42, declined to comment, referring all comments to the White House communications office.

Twenty-six senators, including ranking member John McCain, R-Ariz., make up the Senate Armed Services Committee, chaired by Carl Levin, D-Mich. A confirmation hearing has not been scheduled.

M. Eddie Rodriguez BOR diary 5/1/09
Juan Garcia: Confimation Process and More

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This is a position rich in history. Previous individuals who have served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy include Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and more recently the current U.S. Senator for Virginia, James Webb. On a bit of side note, famous Texans who have held Presidential Pentagon appointments include former governors John Connally, who served as Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), and Bill Clements, who served as US Deputy Secretary of Defense.

Pres. Obama has 487 Senate approved positions to fill. So far, the average age of Obama’s appointees is 52. Garcia is only 42 years old. The Washington Post has a great appointees tracking page. Juan is a graduate of UCLA, Harvard Law School (where he met Barack Obama), John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and served as a White House Fellow. Garcia has accomplished a lot in his young life and I know we expect a great deal more from this rising Texas star.

The Navy Department has approximately 330,000 naval personnel, 202,000 Marines, and a civilian workforce as well. If confirmed, Garcia will oversee the office responsible for recruiting, developing, and retaining Navy and Marine Corps personnel to ensure that the country has a naval force capable of supporting the U.S.'s overall military global operations.

There had been rumors that Garcia was going to be selected for SECNAV (former Mississippi Governor and Clinton Ambassador Ray Mabus has been nominated) but federal law prevents an appointment to Secretary of the Navy for any one who has been off active duty less than five years. Garcia left the active-duty Navy in October of 2004 and continues to fly as an instructor pilot in the Naval Reserve. He is currently the Commanding Officer of Naval Reserve Training Squadron 28 at NAS Corpus Christi. His father, Captain Juan Garcia, a native of Robstown, Texas, is a retired naval aviator, and his younger brother, Lieutenant Junior Grade Mike Garcia, is a naval aviator currently serving oversea.

BOR diary
Juan Garcia Confirmation Update

by: M. Eddie Rodriguez
Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 10:10 PM CDT

Former State Representative Juan Garcia just moved forward with the next big step of his confirmation to be the next Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. The Corpus Christi Caller Times is reporting that The White House has just officially sent his name to the U.S. Senate for confirmation.

As was noted earlier, there will now be a hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee.