Obama nominates defense adviser to No. 2 spot at DOE

President Obama on Tuesday nominated top White House defense adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall to be deputy secretary of the Energy Department.

Sherwood-Randall’s nomination to the No. 2 spot at the Department of Energy (DOE) comes after Daniel Poneman announced he would step down in June after five years at the post.

Sherwood-Randall has served as adviser to the president on nuclear weapons and arms control since 2013. Prior to that she advised Obama on European affairs.

If confirmed by the Senate, Sherwood-Randall’s expertise on European and Russian policy would help the DOE at a time when Europe is struggling with limited oil and natural gas supplies from Russia.

Starting in 1994, Sherwood-Randall served as deputy assistant secretary for the Defense Department on Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia for two years.