This roll call vote was taken in order to confirm Brendan Owens as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment. Owens is the DoD’s Chief Sustainability Officer and was previously a principal at Black Vest Strategies, a consulting firm centered on “...the intersection of health, equity, and climate issues in the built environment.” He also helped found Ecountable, Inc. to “democratize” access to ESG scores. CPAC believes that the Department of Defense should focus on promoting the US’ national security interests and not on the promotion of DEI or ESG scores. CPAC opposed this confirmation. The Senate confirmed Brendan Owens on January 23, 2023 by a vote of 60-35.