Flournoy drops out of running for Pentagon job

Michèle Flournoy, a former Pentagon official who was viewed as a front-runner to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, has taken herself out of contention for the Cabinet post.

Flournoy on Tuesday sent a letter to the board of directors for the Center for a New American Security saying she plans to remain in her position as the think tank’s chief executive officer, Foreign Policy reported.

{mosads}Flournoy had previously served as undersecretary of Defense for policy from 2009 to 2012, working under both Robert Gates and Leon Panetta. She was viewed as a possible replacement for Panetta when he announced his retirement in 2012.

She has long been seen as a prime candidate to become the first female Defense secretary in U.S. history.

Flournoy might have another shot at the top Defense job, as she has been widely rumored to be a top candidate to join Hillary Clinton’s national security team, should the former secretary of State make a bid for the White House in 2016.

Her decision to pass up the important national security post leaves Obama with a thinning bench of possible candidates: Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who through a spokesman has said he is not interested in the job; Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.), the top Democrat on House Armed Services; and Ashton Carter, a former deputy secretary of Defense.

In a strange bit of timing, Flournoy will testify before the House Armed Services Committee next week.

She will appear on Dec. 2 to discuss the Pentagon’s Quadrennial Defense Review, according to a hearing schedule the panel released on Tuesday. The nuts-to-bolts examination guides Pentagon spending over the long term, prioritizing any shifts of military assets or attention to growing capabilities, such as cyber and special operations.