Robert Work close to being nominated as Pentagon No. 2

Robert Work, former Navy under secretary, is close to being nominated for the No. 2 position at the Pentagon, according to a defense official. 

He could be nominated as early as Tuesday evening, as first reported by RealClearDefense. 

Work, 61, served as Navy under secretary from 2009 through 2013, and served 27 years in the Marine Corps. He currently is CEO of think-tank Center for a New American Security. 

{mosads}If confirmed, he would take over for Acting Deputy Secretary Christine Fox, and for former Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who left in December.

If he is nominated, Work is expected to face questioning from lawmakers during confirmation on the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan, the defense secretary’s plan to cut the number of littoral combat ships — a platform that Work supports, and a Navy bribery scandal. 

He could also be questioned on recent cheating allegations among its nuclear reactor force, which the Navy announced Tuesday.