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White House statement on Wednesday said Trump had announced his
intention to nominate Stilwell, a former career fighter pilot
who speaks Korean, Chinese and some Japanese, to be assistant
secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, but experts said
Stilwell would likely receive broad support from the chamber.
The post has remained unfilled since the previous incumbent,
Daniel Russel, stepped down in April last year, in spite of a
major crisis over North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and
worsening relations and a trade war with China, the world's No.
2 economy and Washington's main rival in the region.
Stilwell retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2015 with the rank
of brigadier general after 35 years of service.
The White House statement said he was currently director of the
China Strategic Focus Group at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Headquarters in Hawaii and an adjunct senior fellow at the East
West Center in Honolulu.
Stilwell joined the Air Force in 1980 as a Korean linguist and
served in South Korea before earning degrees in Asian studies
and the Chinese language.
He also served with the Air Force in Japan, as well in a senior
Asia planning role at the Pentagon and as defense attache in
Beijing from 2011 to 2013.
Russel welcomed Stilwell's nomination.
"I have worked with Dave Stilwell and know him well. I’m glad
that the President has now nominated an experienced Asia hand to
this important position and hope the Senate will confirm him
expeditiously,” he said in an email.
Trump's former secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, previously
nominated Russel's former deputy, Susan Thornton, for the post,
but she was seen by administration hawks as too soft on China
and her nomination never came to a vote in the Senate.
Eric Sayers, an Asia specialist and former Republican
congressional staffer, said Stilwell would be welcomed by
Republican Asia watchers and should also have good chemistry
with the two other senior administration officials responsible
for Asia, Matt Pottinger at the National Security Council and
Randy Schriver at the Pentagon.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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