McCain could shake up U.S. defense in powerful new Senate role

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) Nov 5, 2014 – Senator John McCain`s voice just got a whole lot louder.
One of President Barack Obama’s noisiest detractors, McCain is expected to take the helm of the powerful Armed Services Committee in the new Republican-controlled U.S. Senate when the U.S. Congress convenes in January.
The Arizona senator, a critic of the $399 billion Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet program, is likely to push for tougher congressional scrutiny of costly U.S. weapons programs, defense analysts say.
McCain, a former Navy pilot and Vietnam War prisoner who lost to Obama in the 2008 election, has also criticized the administration on everything from fighting Islamic State militants to arming moderate Syrian rebels, while seeking a tougher U.S. response to Russian aggression in Ukraine. As committee chairman he could summon Pentagon officials to public hearings to explain their strategy on Syria.