Senate Confirms Jules “Jay” Hurst III as Pentagon Comptroller

The Senate confirmed Jules “Jay” Hurst III as the Pentagon’s comptroller. The vote followed party lines, ending a year and a half period without a confirmed Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Defense.

Hurst served as the acting controller from August last year to May. The Senate confirmed him as part of a group of nominees with a 51-47 vote. Once sworn in, Hurst, a former Army officer, will manage the Pentagon’s budget and spending. This comes as the Trump administration urges Congress to approve a $1.5 trillion defense budget.

Hurst’s military background includes multiple deployments to Afghanistan as an intelligence officer. He previously held roles such as assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs, and undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

Before joining the Department of Defense, Hurst was a legislative director and defense advisor to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). In May, he informed Congress of the rising cost of the Iran war, suggesting the figure approached $29 billion. By late July, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided an updated cost of $37.5 billion.

During the same voting session, the Senate confirmed Erich Hernandez-Baquero as the Air Force’s assistant secretary for space acquisition and integration.

Recent Developments in Defense and National Security

A top general in Europe was removed from his command recently, two months before his term was scheduled to end. This decision came from high-ranking U.S. officials who preferred to remain anonymous while discussing the matter. Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza headed the Army’s V Corps, operating from Fort Knox, KY, and Camp Kościuszko.

The Senate passed a bipartisan bill imposing stricter sanctions on Russia and its top five oil customers, along with extending existing sanctions on Iran. The vote was 86-11, aligning with an objective set by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

President Trump defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid reports of tension between them regarding depleted U.S. military munition stockpiles in the Iran conflict. Trump described these reports as false and emphasized his satisfaction with Hegseth’s performance in a post on Truth Social.

Separately, a U.S. military investigation concluded there was no white phosphorus leak at a U.S. base in South Korea. This followed an evacuation order for residents near Osan Air Base, which was lifted soon after. Local authorities in Pyeongtaek prompted this response on July 28 due to a detected leak.