# Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense

The senior military assistant to the secretary of defense (SMA SecDef) is the highest-ranking commissioned officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). The SMA directly reports to the secretary of defense, performing administrative work in the Secretary's name and handles relations between the Secretary and other pertinent government bodies, including the rest of the OSD, Congress and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As a joint duty assignment, the SMA is one of 310 officer positions granted exemption from statutory limits on general officer numbers under 10 U.S.C. § 526.
The SMA holds the rank of lieutenant general or vice admiral. They are nominated by the president and must be confirmed by the Senate.

## List of senior military assistants

| No. | Senior Military Assistant | Senior Military Assistant | Term | Term | Term | Service branch | Secretary of Defense | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | Service branch | Secretary of Defense | Ref. |
| ? | | Major General Colin Powell | July 1983 | June 1986 | ~2 years, 335 days | U.S. Army | Caspar Weinberger | - |
| ? | | Vice Admiral Donald S. Jones | June 1986 | January 1987 | ~214 days | U.S. Navy | Caspar Weinberger Frank Carlucci | |
| ? | | Major General Gordon E. Fornell | January 1987 | September 1988 | ~1 year, 244 days | U.S. Air Force | Frank Carlucci | |
| ? | | Rear Admiral (lower half) William Owens | July 1988 | August 1990 | ~2 years, 31 days | U.S. Navy | Frank Carlucci Dick Cheney | |
| ? | | Rear Admiral (lower half) Thomas J. Lopez | August 1990 | May 1992 | ~1 year, 274 days | U.S. Navy | Dick Cheney | |
| ? | | Major General John P. Jumper | May 1992 | February 1994 | ~1 year, 276 days | U.S. Air Force | Les Aspin | |
| ? | | Major General Paul J. Kern | March 1994 | June 1996 | ~2 years, 92 days | U.S. Army | William Perry | |
| ? | | Major General Randolph W. House | June 1996 | January 1997 | ~214 days | U.S. Army | William Perry | |
| ? | | Lieutenant General James L. Jones | January 1997 | May 1999 | ~2 years, 120 days | U.S. Marine Corps | William Cohen | |
| ? | | Vice Admiral Gregory G. Johnson | May 1999 | October 2000 | ~1 year, 153 days | U.S. Navy | William Cohen | - |
| ? | | Rear Admiral (lower half) Deborah Loewer | October 2000 | 2001 | ~258 days | U.S. Navy | William Cohen | - |
| ? | | Vice Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani | 2001 | August 2002 | ~1 year, 46 days | U.S. Navy | William Cohen Donald Rumsfeld | - |
| ? | | Lieutenant General Bantz J. Craddock | August 2002 | July 2004 | ~1 year, 335 days | U.S. Army | Donald Rumsfeld | - |
| ? | | Vice Admiral James G. Stavridis | July 2004 | August 2006 | ~2 years, 31 days | U.S. Navy | Donald Rumsfeld | - |
| ? | | Lieutenant General Victor E. Renuart Jr. | August 2006 | February 2007 | ~184 days | U.S. Air Force | Robert Gates | |
| ? | | Lieutenant General Peter W. Chiarelli | March 2007 | August 2008 | ~1 year, 153 days | U.S. Army | Robert Gates | - |
| ? | | Lieutenant General David M. Rodriguez | August 2008 | June 2009 | ~304 days | U.S. Army | Robert Gates | - |
| ? | | Vice Admiral Joseph D. Kernan | June 2009 | April 2011 | ~1 year, 304 days | U.S. Navy | Robert Gates | - |
| ? | | Lieutenant General John F. Kelly | April 2011 | August 2012 | ~1 year, 122 days | U.S. Marine Corps | Robert Gates Leon Panetta | - |
| ? | | Lieutenant General Thomas D. Waldhauser | August 2012 | September 2013 | ~1 year, 31 days | U.S. Marine Corps | Leon Panetta Chuck Hagel | - |
| ? | | Lieutenant General Robert B. Abrams | September 2013 | June 24, 2015 | ~1 year, 282 days | U.S. Army | Chuck Hagel Ash Carter | - |
| ? | | Lieutenant General Ronald F. Lewis | June 24, 2015 | November 12, 2015 | 141 days | U.S. Army | Ash Carter | |
| ? | | Brigadier General Eric Smith | ~January 7, 2016 | ~June 23, 2017 | ~1 year, 167 days | U.S. Marine Corps | Ash Carter Jim Mattis | |
| ? | | Vice Admiral Craig S. Faller | ~June 23, 2017 | ~September 1, 2018 | ~1 year, 70 days | U.S. Navy | Jim Mattis | |
| ? | | Lieutenant General George W. Smith Jr. | September 1, 2018 | August 12, 2019 | 345 days | U.S. Marine Corps | Jim Mattis Mark Esper | |
| ? | | Lieutenant General Bryan P. Fenton | August 12, 2019 | June 3, 2021 | 1 year, 295 days | U.S. Army | Mark Esper Lloyd Austin | |
| ? | | Lieutenant General Randy George | June 3, 2021 | ~July 7, 2022 | 1 year, 34 days | U.S. Army | Lloyd Austin | |
| ? | | Lieutenant General Ronald P. Clark | ~July 7, 2022 | 1 October 2024 | 2 years, 86 days | U.S. Army | Lloyd Austin | |
| ? | | Lieutenant General Jennifer Short | 1 October 2024 | 22 February 2025 | 144 days | U.S. Air Force | Lloyd Austin | |