The nomination of Elbridge Colby to be the next undersecretary of defense for policy is causing concerns among some Republicans over his accommodationist approach to a nuclear Iran and his ties to other isolationist figures recently installed at the Pentagon, many of whom have links to Charles Koch and his network of organizations.

Colby has said in the past that the U.S. should pull back militarily from the Middle East and do less to counter Iran and its proxies. He’s also suggested that he doesn’t see an Iranian nuclear weapon as a red line, which has been long-standing U.S. policy, saying instead that it is “eminently plausible and practical” to contain a nuclearized Iranian regime. He has opposed U.S. strikes to eliminate the Iranian nuclear program.

Colby further favors U.S. pullback from Ukraine and Europe and has also raised questions about whether the U.S. should come to Taiwan’s defense.

His views align him with several other isolationist picks at the Pentagon including Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Michael DiMino and senior advisor Dan Caldwell, whose appointments have also alarmed some Senate Republicans. Their roles, while not requiring Senate confirmation, could become an issue during Colby’s confirmation process, given Colby’s ties to both of them and alleged involvement in their hirings.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, confirmed to Jewish Insider that there are issues among committee members with Colby’s nomination.

“There are concerns, there are concerns,” Wicker told JI, echoing comments he’s made to other media outlets in recent days.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), a defense hawk who met recently with Colby, told JI he’s “aware of” Colby’s past comments calling for U.S. retrenchment in the Middle East. He declined to discuss his meeting with Colby beyond describing it as “good.”

Pressed on whether Colby’s views on the Middle East had come up in that conversation, Rounds replied: “We’ll continue to do our research, but we had a good meeting.”

One Republican senator familiar with the situation told JI that the White House was aware of Colby’s GOP dissenters on the Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over Colby’s nomination. The senator added that the Trump administration officials they had spoken with knew that the problems surrounding Colby’s nomination were “not just about him,” pointing to broader concerns about DiMino and Caldwell. 

The senator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also noted that Colby’s confirmation process had not made any progress on the committee side. “He doesn’t seem to be moving, which is positive. The administration has got so many people and nominees they’re dealing with right now. I don’t know exactly what’ll happen, but nothing’s happening right now,” they said.

Colby’s confirmation hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Colby has met with several other Senate Republicans in recent weeks. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), the No. 2 Republican on Armed Services, said in a post on X late last month that she and Colby met and “had an in-depth discussion on strategic priorities, and how to achieve peace through strength.” She did not, however, offer any specific praise for him or his foreign policy vision. 

Colby has a number of backers in the Senate, including Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), an Armed Services Committee member, and Josh Hawley (R-MO).

“Bridge is one of the brightest defense minds in the country. He understands the China threat and will be an important America First ally for President Trump at the Pentagon,” Banks, who described Colby as a friend, said on X. “He has my full support to be our next Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.”

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who sits on the panel and previously served in the Defense Department and the Central Intelligence Agency, noted to JI that Colby “used to be my assistant,” so she’s familiar with him and his record.

Slotkin didn’t specify how she’s currently leaning on his nomination.

Colby has strong support from conservative activists and figures, ranging from Donald Trump Jr. to Hugh Hewitt. Colby also recently appeared on Tucker Carlson’s podcast.

The nomination is dividing some in the Jewish community: the Republican Jewish Coalition is backing him despite differences on key issues, but the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations’s CEO, William Daroff, sent a letter, first reported by Semafor, to Senate Republicans highlighting “serious concerns raised by our member organizations.”

The letter, addressed to Wicker and Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), urged lawmakers to pose a series of a dozen questions about Colby’s views and comments on Iran, containment, the Iran nuclear deal, pulling back U.S. forces in the Middle East, U.S. missile defense systems in the Middle East, DiMino’s record and Colby’s views on the overall U.S. defense budget.