Navy Blog: Sestak Not Legally Eligible to be SecNav
Rep. Joe Sestak could not have been appointed Navy Secretary because he has not been retired from active service for more than five years, according to naval strategy blog Information Dissemination.
Most people have assumed, and Sestak has never denied, that he was offered the post of Navy Secretary so he would not run against Sen. Arlen Specter in the Democratic Primary in Pennsylvania. One problem: there already was a new SecNav in place at the time, Ray Mabus.
Now comes the naval strategy blog Information Dissemination, with a post that says Sestak would not be eligible, because the statute requires a SecNav to have been retired from active duty in any branch of the armed services for at least five years. An admiral with a 31-year career, Sestak retired July 22, 2005.