Rep. Scott Perry, a close ally of the president, should be Secretary of Defense

“Prevailing in the war against radical Islamist extremism must become our top national security policy.”

Any candidate for Secretary of Defense must agree with this statement – and must have said something like it before being asked.

Congressman Scott Perry openly proclaims it. One of many reasons why President Trump should name him as Secretary of Defense.

Before considering his political opponents to run the Pentagon for the rest of his first term, President Trump should look at Scott Perry to be his man running the Defense Department.

The Pennsylvania Republican, first elected in 2012, is a thoughtful and tough lawmaker and staunch supporter of the president. The president’s adversaries outside Perry’s district pumped $2.5 million in last-minute funds to defeat him in 2018.

Perry is openly critical of the Pentagon leadership’s lack of strategy to defeat our enemies abroad:

“Rather than making up the plan along the way, we must continue to develop and carry out a clear strategy for confronting our Nation’s enemies. Instead of fighting with yesterday’s tools, we must ensure sure that our Service Members have every resource necessary to defeat these threats.”

Perry is an Army helicopter pilot who flew 44 combat missions in the Iraq War. He has been in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard since 1980, where he is presently a brigadier general.

In the House of Representatives, Perry sits on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

He has been an outspoken critic of the Muslim Brotherhood and its infiltration of American institutions, including the military.

It has been reported that Perry is a member of the House Freedom Caucus. The Caucus does not reveal its membership.