Robert Harding is an American businessman and a retired

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the Army.Frank, Thomas
TSA left in holding pattern?
USA Today

President Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

announced his intent to nominate Harding as secretary of the

Transportation Security Administration The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has authority over the security of transportation systems within, and connecting to the United States. It was created ...

on March 8, 2010.President Obama Announces His Intent to Nominate Robert A. Harding to lead the Transportation Security Administration
/ref> On March 26, 2010 Harding took himself out consideration for the post.

Harding Security Associates

Harding was president of his own defense consulting company, Harding Security Associates. In July 2008 Harding's company was awarded a $100 million contract with the US Army under a program that gives preference to contractors headed by disabled veterans. Harding had listed his disability as

sleep apnea Sleep apnea, also spelled sleep apnoea, is a sleep disorder in which pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep occur more often than normal. Each pause can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and they happen many times ...

. Also, in 2008, Harding's company was audited and had its contract with the

Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, specializing in defense and military intelligence. A component of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the I ...

terminated after performing $6 million of work. Harding's company agreed to return almost $2 million to the US government in that case. Harding sold the company in 2009.O'Harrow, Robert, Jr., "Ex-TSA Pick's Firm Won Army Contract After Sleep Apnea Cited", ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', March 28, 2010, p. 5.

References

Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) United States Army generals American consultants American business executives {{US-business-bio-stub