On Monday, Republicans announced the assignments of three post-9/11 veterans who will serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, Rep. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, and Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska — all veterans of either Iraq, Afghanistan or both wars — will likely serve under Vietnam veteran Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, who is expected to be named chairman of the Armed Services Committee in January.
“They see me as someone who has actually served with boots on the ground, not just as a soldier, but as a leader … somebody who has credibility,” Ernst said in an interview with Defense One just ahead of the midterm election in November.
The 114th Congress is set to convene at the beginning of January.