President’s nominee to for US Ambassador to ICAO draws unexpected CRITICISM
Today’s subject is the President’s nomination of an individual to be the US Ambassador to ICAO. This UN body actions are relatively obscure. Hours and hours and even years of quiet deliberation are why ICAO is not content for the media; however, the work done right gets greater attention when the world’s press focuses on a tragic aircraft accident. Though not constantly high profile, its work is one of the reasons why aviation safety has constantly elevated 78 years ago.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)was founded on April 4, 1947, is and has been the recognized body to establish GLOBAL AVIATION standards. The United States was a founding member of the Montreal-based establishment and has been a major participant in the development of the ICAO standards. This record reflects our preeminence in aviation and most relevantly to this 193 country body, the competence of the American men and woman[1] who have held this position have demonstrated superior technical and diplomatic skills. It should be noted that the US office is staffed by FAA and State Department professionals and they earn considerable credit for that preeminence at ICAO.
A senior legal expert on international law and all thing ICAO, pointed out:
“…the key issue is the US has lost its international leadership in aviation. THE “GOLD STANDARD” IS BEHIND US. And one of the many reasons for this loss since members of this group were in government is the failure of US Presidents to nominate capable people to be US rep to ICAO. Let’s not forget that the second rep to ICAO in Trump’s first term he nominated an individual with zero aviation experience. It took Biden an entire year to bring a US rep on board who quit only after five months in, and then the President never bothered to nominate a replacement. It sends a signal to the world that we do not care or are incompetent.”
Given this judgment on the need for a high level of technical competence in the next US representative to ICAO (an opinion shared by me and two international experts consulted for this post), the President has appropriately nominated someone whose experience should restore the stature of the US. Here is his LinkedIn profile (excerpted):
Jeffrey Anderson, a former Delta Air Lines pilot and decorated naval aviator. Here’s a breakdown of his career highlights and the context surrounding his nomination as U.S. Ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO):
Experience
- Founder and Chief Policy Director
Enclave Policy Partners May 1990 – Present
Commercial Airline Captain
achieved FAA type ratings in four aircraft categories on 14 different airframe models, upgrading to Captain and accumulating approximately 20,000 commercial flight hours (the majority as pilot in command)
Mar 2017 – Dec 2018 ·
- Appointed Government Affairs Chair for the Delta MEC, national G/A representative with the Air Line Pilots Association and ALPA PAC Board Member. Oversaw the strategic development and tactical execution of lobbying and other legislative activities in support of the Delta Air Lines pilotsLobbied with a broad span of partners to incorporate improved aviation safety and public interest measures, as well as airline career and industry protections in the 2018 FAA Reauthorization ActPartnered with Delta Air Lines Government Affairs to jointly lobby on behalf of United States airlines for industry protection from the destructive anti-competitive practices of foreign state-owned enterprises, resulting in White House action to ensure the stability of that essential national economic
Sep 2015 – Mar 2017 · 1 yr 7 mos.
- Elected by the Delta Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association to represent 13,000 members as a Contract Negotiator under Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act following the failed membership ratification of a Tentative AgreementChampioned fair and constructive solutions as part of a four-person negotiating team. Overcame contentious and disrupted situations through negotiation, persuasion and the creation of a strategic roadmap that effectively articulated collective goals. Ultimate outcomes were a successfully re-engaged union membership and meaningful reengagement with corporate leadership in a productive, interest-based negotiation process under National Mediation Board supervisionDelivered a comprehensive Working Agreement in just 13 months that increased overall contract value by 35% ($3.2B value) and that was ratified by 91% of the union membership
Developed FOQA-ASAP information-sharing protocol to facilitate vastly improved analysis and redress of safety-related
11 years
- Led as a Branch and Division Officer in varied operational and administrative roles in front line domestic and deployed operations supporting peacetime initiatives and combat missions. Directed teams of up to forty officers and enlisted personnel.
Key assignments included:
– Attack Officer: Oversaw the unique logistics, air and ground crew training and the physical deployment of conventional and nuclear weapons and delivery systems in fulfillment of unit and national defense and deterrence policy
– Legal Officer: Represented command authority and individual (charged) rights in actions under the UCMJ, as well as legal interactions with domestic and foreign civil authorities
– Flight Operations Officer: Managed strategic planning, asset allocation, logistics management, scheduling and operational execution of assigned airborne missions for a deployed, 600-person, 12-aircraft fleet squadronConcurrent with those primary line officer duties, earned initial aviator, advanced tactical pilot, elite mission command and special instructor pilot designations in several patrol bomber and tactical aircraft, accumulating approximately 1800-hours of fleet flight time in three airframe types and obtaining one FAA type ratingSelected to serve as an Advanced Flight Instructor for the Naval Air Training Command; accumulated approximately 1000 additional hours of flight time in four aircraft types while attaining further qualifications and serving in concurrent squadron roles:
– Air Combat Maneuvering Lead Instructor
– Formation Lead Instructor
– Instructor Training Unit Lead
– Flight Operations OfficerReleased from Reserve status in 2022, having achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander
The HIGHLIGHTS
- A pilot with 45 years experience in military and commercial aviation.
- Selected to be a top gun instructor
- Appointed by the pilots union to negotiate with management.
Clearly a person who can speak authoritatively in Council and Assembly sessions with a voice that the audience will recognize as knowledgeable. The line of supporters for Mr. Anderson must be long, NO?
The AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, which has a mission ADVANCING AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY SINCE 1931, and Delta’s union leadership selected Captain Anderson to assure that their contract was fair and safe, does not endorse the nominee and attacks their labor brother with the following quote:
“…Anderson is not qualified to represent the U.S. at the ICAO and was picked by Trump for political reasons.
“Unlike the last Senate confirmed ICAO ambassador, [Captain] Sully Sullenberger, Mr. Anderson fails the basic experience and qualifications test and could set back America’s aviation leadership for years to come,” the union said in a statement. “In fact, it appears that Mr. Anderson’s only real qualification for the post is his support of a position—raising the mandatory pilot retirement age—that would leave the United States as an outlier in the global aviation space and create chaos on pilot labor, and international and domestic flight operations.
“Mr. Anderson would be advocating on the world stage based on his personal interests, contrary to policy that was settled in last year’s FAA Reauthorization. We urge the United States Senate to reject this nominee.”
This diatribe suggests that ALPA’s opposition is not based on technical competence but politics– its membership cannot tolerate a candidate solely because of his opinion about extending the retirement age of commercial pilots. The know that ICAO is not likely to adopt a proposal it has already rejected. The union’s international body, IFALPA, represents more than 148,000 pilots in the Member Associations of nearly 100 countries worldwide. Knowing that collectively they have the clout to impact any vote and knowing that the US’s influence in Montreal is weakening, their tactic is to attack the reputation of one of their profession.
Though Advancing SAFETY is the stated mission, they choose to oppose a candidate whose resume is the equal or better of all previous Ambassadors or Permanent Representatives who actually served.
Fight Brewing Over Trump’s Pick for ICAO Ambassador
Air Line Pilots Association opposes the nomination of a former Delta Air Lines pilot.[and ALPA negotiator]
- Friday, July 18, 2025
The Air Line Pilots Association () on Thursday came out against President Donald Trump’s nominee to represent the U.S. on the council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), former DELTA AIR LINES PILOT [and ALPA negotiator]JEFFREY ANDERSON.
The White House announced the president’s selection of Anderson this week alongside appointments to various other government agencies and diplomatic posts. Anderson’s nomination was referred to the U.S. Senate for consideration and an eventual confirmation vote.
The ICAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that develops standards for international civilian air transportation. Headquartered in Montreal, it is governed by a 36-member council elected by a vote of the 193 member states every three years. The U.S. is on the ICAO council for the 2022-25 term, but the organization’s website shows a blank profile where the American representative should be.
ICAO attendance reports show the U.S. has been represented by “delegates” at recent organization meetings. A report from 2022 lists Andrew Veprek as an “alternate representative.”
The position was held by Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, best known for safely landing a US Airways flight on the Hudson River in New York after a bird strike, between February and July 2022 following a nomination from then-President Joe Biden.
Contentious Candidate
In a statement, ALPA said Anderson is not qualified to represent the U.S. at the ICAO and was picked by Trump for political reasons.
“Unlike the last Senate confirmed ICAO ambassador, [Captain] Sully Sullenberger, Mr. Anderson fails the basic experience and qualifications test and could set back America’s aviation leadership for years to come,” the union said in a statement. “In fact, it appears that Mr. Anderson’s only real qualification for the post is his support of a position—raising the mandatory pilot retirement age—that would leave the United States as an outlier in the global aviation space and create chaos on pilot labor, and international and domestic flight operations.
“Mr. Anderson would be advocating on the world stage based on his personal interests, contrary to policy that was settled in last year’s FAA Reauthorization. We urge the United States Senate to reject this nominee.”
ALPA and other unions mobilized last year to counter a push by some members of Congress to raise the mandatory retirement age for pilots in the U.S. from 65 to 67, a move supported by some older pilots and regional airlines. Backers contend the adjustment would allow healthy and experienced pilots to continue working while expanding the labor pool, but ALPA and its allies raised concerns about safety and the integrity of existing collective bargaining agreements.
Separately, the FAA told Congress not to raise the retirement age until it has time to study the issue.
The FAA Reauthorization Act, ultimately signed into law by Biden in May 2024, did not change the age limit.
In a statement provided to Reuters, the White House defended Anderson’s nomination, pointing to his past service as a naval aviator and his decades of experience with Delta.
“[Anderson] will deliver on President Trump’s vision of aviation safety for the American people at ICAO,” the White House said.
Trump administration officials and appointees have spoken positively about loosening some requirements for positions in the airline industry.
During a Senate confirmation hearing in June, former Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford, then nominee for FAA administrator, called the mandatory pilot retirement age “arbitrary.”
“We had a of debate on the merits of it, which are, I think, pretty clear that we have really experienced pilots that still have a lot of gas in the tank…and a lot of mentoring that they can bring to the table for the younger workforce that we’re developing for the future,” Bedford said.
Bedford pointed out that because 65 is the cutoff age used by most countries, an upward adjustment would require international cooperation. For that reason, he said the ICAO is “very critical” to raising the retirement age.
Bedford was confirmed as FAA administrator by the Senate on July 9.
Zach Vasile is a writer and editor covering news in all aspects of aviation. He has reported for and contributed to the Manchester Journal Inquirer, the Hartford Business Journal, the Charlotte Observer, and the Washington Examiner, with his area of focus being the intersection of business and government policy.
| 1 | Laurence S. Kuter | Sep 22, 1947 – Feb 29, 1948 |
| 2 | Paul Albert Smith | Sep 24, 1948 – Aug 1, 1953 |
| 3 | Harold Armstrong Jones | Jul 22, 1953 – Nov 15, 1956 |
| 4 | Nelson Binkley David | Aug 7, 1957 – Aug 31, 1968 |
| 5 | Robert Patrick Boyle | Aug 9, 1968 – May 23, 1969 |
| 6 | Charles Frederick Butler | May 2, 1969 – Nov 13, 1971 |
| 7 | Betty Rose Dillon | Nov 8, 1971 – Oct 12, 1977 |
| 8 | John Edward Downs | Oct 12, 1977 – Oct 26, 1982 |
| 9 | Edmund Stohr | Sep 15, 1982 – Apr 20, 1990 |
| 10 | Don M. Newman | Jun 27, 1990 – May 8, 1994 |
| 11 | Carol Jones Carmody | Apr 9, 1994 – Feb 27, 1999 |
| 12 | Edward W. Stimpson | Oct 5, 1999 – Dec 17, 2004 |
| 13 | Donald T. Bliss | Feb 17, 2005 – Jan 19, 2009 |
| 14 | Duane Woerth | Oct 1, 2010 – Dec 23, 2013 |
| 15 | Michael Anderson Lawson | Jul 22, 2014 – Jan 19, 2017 |
| 16 | Thomas L. Carter | Dec 10, 2017 – Feb 28, 2020 |
| — | Sean E. Doocey (acting) | Apr 17, 2020 – Jan 17, 2021 |
| 17 | Sully Sullenberger | Feb 3, 2022 – Jul 1, 2022 |
| — | Brent Christensen (acting) | Aug 2022 – Jan 2024 |
| — | Andrew M. Veprek (acting) | Jan 2024 – Aug 2024 |
| — | Anthony Clare (Chargé d’affaires) | Since Aug 2024 |
