Tag Archives: K.T. McFarland

Nominee/Candidates For U.S. Ambassadorships to Singapore, Austria, and South Korea Withdraw From Consideration

February 5, 2018 By in Nominations, Officially In, Political Appointees, Trump, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Posted: 3:07 am ET

 

So K.T. McFarland is not going to Singapore. The White House sent its renomination of this candidate to the Senate on January 8, 2018. Last week, Ms. McFarland officially withdrew her name from consideration.

Rumored candidate to Austria also withdrew: Mar-a-Lago member Patrick Park, avid fan of “The Sound of Music” according to the Palm Beach Daily News and rumored as the next ambassador to Austria is no longer in the running (also see Tillerson/Priebus Standoff on Ambassadorships, Plus Rumored Names/Posts (Updated).

Rumored nominee for South Korea Victor Cha is apparently no longer in the running for that post. And there’s a whole lot of reports on why that’s the case. Mr. Cha had not been formally announced as a nominee but widely reported and previously expected to be the nominee for the COM spot in Seoul. The WH is now reportedly calling the snafu as a “vetting issue“. What? They’re just discovering the “issue” now after the USG has already requested/received agrément from the SouthKorean government?

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SFRC Clears Ueland, Ford, Poblete, Evans, Braithwaite, McClenny, Bierman, and More

December 6, 2017 By in Appointments, FSOs, Nominations, Political Appointees, Senate Hold, Senators, SFRC, State Department, U.S. Senate, USAID Tags: , ,

Posted: 3:28 am ET

 

Several State Department nominees were cleared by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, December 5.

STATE DEPARTMENT

Mr. Eric M. Ueland, of Oregon, to be Under Secretary of State (Management)

Mr. Christopher Ashley Ford, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (International Security and Non-Proliferation)

Ms. Yleem D.S. Poblete, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Verification and Compliance)

AMBASSADORS

Mr. James Randolph Evans, of Georgia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Luxembourg

Rear Admiral Kenneth J. Braithwaite USN(ret), of Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Norway

Mr. M. Lee McClenny, of Washington, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Paraguay

USAID

Mr. Brock D. Bierman, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development

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Old SFRC reports | The following were nominations that previously cleared the SFRC but have yet to get a full Senate vote. The published Senate calendar indicates that it will be in session until Sunday, December 17, and then it will be on a scheduled non-legislative period from December 18-31, 2017.

Oct 26, 2017 | Reported by Mr. Corker, Committee on Foreign Relations, without printed report.

Richard Grenell, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Samuel Dale Brownback, of Kansas, to be Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, vice David Nathan Saperstein, resigned.

Jennifer Gillian Newstead, of New York, to be Legal Adviser of the Department of State, vice Brian James Egan, resigned.

Sep 28, 2017 | Placed on the Calendar pursuant to S.Res. 116, 112th Congress.

Mary Kirtley Waters, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Legislative Affairs), vice Julia Frifield.

Sep 19, 2017 | Reported by Mr. Corker, Committee on Foreign Relations, without printed report.

Doug Manchester, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Kathleen Troia McFarland, of New York, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Singapore.

Aug 03, 2017 | Reported by Mr. Corker, Committee on Foreign Relations, without printed report.

Jay Patrick Murray, of Virginia, to be Alternate Representative of the United States of America for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador.

Jay Patrick Murray, of Virginia, to be an Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, during his tenure of service as Alternate Representative of the United States of America for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations.

A note on the McFarland nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. As best we could tell, there is no official hold on this nomination in the latest Senate digest but CNN has reported that the Democrats have placed a hold on this nomination until she answers their questions. Whether or not she will be called back to the SFRC before the Senate breaks for the holidays depends on Senator Corker.

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July 20 SFRC Hearing: Kathleen Troia McFarland to be U.S. Ambassador to Singapore

July 20, 2017 By in Hearings, Nominations, Officially In, Political Appointees, SFRC, Trump Tags: , , , , ,

Posted: 1:14 am ET
Updated: 11:50 am PT
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The Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) is holding a confirmation hearing on the nomination of K.T. McFarland to be U.S. Ambassador to Singapore.

Date: Thursday, July 20, 2017
Time: 09:30 AM
Location: SD-419
Presiding: Senator Corker

A live video of the hearing and the prepared testimony will be posted here when available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below is the Certificate of Demonstrated Competence report made available online by the State Department per Section 712 of the Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017:

SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service Act, Section 304(a)(4)

POST: Republic of Singapore

CANDIDATE: Kathleen Troia McFarland

Kathleen Troia McFarland, a prominent national security analyst, television commentator, political nominee and former senior U.S. Government official, has served as the Deputy National Security Advisor in the National Security Council at the White House since the advent of the Trump Administration. Ms. McFarland has a strong background in foreign policy, government service and political engagement. She was a Candidate for the U.S. Senate in New York in 2006 and for the U.S. House of Representatives, 12th District of New York in 2005. Her demonstrated ability to lead large, complex government institutions, engage effectively in high-level political endeavors, tackle numerous challenges with great intellectual acumen and clearly articulate U.S. government policy make her an excellent candidate for U.S. Ambassador to Singapore.

Previously, Ms. McFarland was a freelance national security commentator on Fox News in New York City and the District of Columbia (2013-2016) and occasionally made public appearances as a guest on other television networks (2007-2013). She served as a staff member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (1991), on the staff of the National Security Council (1970-1976), both in Washington, District of Columbia, and as a Senior Speechwriter and Assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense, Arlington, Virginia (1982-1985). In the interims, she raised her family of five children.

Ms. McFarland earned a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, a B.A./M.A. from the University of Oxford, Oxford, England and a B.A. from George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia. She received a Distinguished Civilian Service Award from the Department of Defense. She is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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K.T. McFarland: From the National Security Council to U.S. Embassy Singapore

June 23, 2017 By in Nominations, Officially In, Political Appointees, Trump Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted: 2:07 am ET
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On May 19, President Trump announced his intent to nominate K.T. McFarland to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. The nomination was received by the Senate on June 15 and was referred (PN605) to the Committee on Foreign Relations for consideration. No confirmation hearing has been scheduled as of this writing.

Below is the WH statement on McFarland’s nomination:

President Donald J. Trump announces his intention to nominate Kathleen Troia (“K.T.”) McFarland to be the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore. Ms. McFarland currently serves as Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor. As a highly-respected national security professional, Ms. McFarland has provided extensive analysis for Fox News. She served in the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations on the National Security Council, and in the Department of Defense before joining the Trump Administration.

“I am pleased to nominate K.T. McFarland to be Ambassador to Singapore, one of America’s great allies,” President Trump said. ”While I am sorry to lose her, K.T.’s work in developing policies that put American interests first will have a lasting impact. She will remain an essential team member as she fulfills this new and important role.”

“K.T. provided essential and steadfast leadership during this transition,” said Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, President Trump’s National Security Advisor. ”She initiated and laid the foundation of the first strategic policy reviews that the NSC will continue to build upon. K.T. is leaving a great team in place to support the President, and our friends in Singapore know they are getting one of his top aides as their American ambassador.”

”I am honored by President Trump’s trust in me,” Ms. McFarland said. ”It’s been an incredible experience to serve here in the White House during his early months in office, and now I’m looking forward to implementing his policy with one of our key allies in Asia. I wish all my colleagues the very best, especially Lieutenant General McMaster, and I look forward to continuing to coordinate closely with them from my new perch in Singapore.”

McFarland’s successor at the NSC is Dr. Rick Waddell. Dr. Waddell spent 17 years working in the private sector in South America, living 12 of those years in Sao Paulo. Dr. Waddell, who is also a Major General in the U.S. Army Reserve, most recently commanded the 76th Division (Operational Response), an organization responsible for protecting the United States homeland. Dr. Waddell served multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. A Rhodes Scholar and author of three books, Dr. Waddell holds a PhD in International Relations from Columbia, an MA in History and Portuguese from Oxford, and a BS from West Point.

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