Elbridge Colby has cleared a hurdle in his nomination to become the Pentagon's top policy strategist and is moving to a final vote. Colby, a co-founder of the Marathon Initiative and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development, is known for his role in authoring the 2018 National Defense Strategy. He has argued for a shift in military resources from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific region. Colby has received support from figures in the Trump administration and Vice President J.D. Vance. He has also faced questions about his views on Taiwan and Iran during his confirmation hearing.