Robert Wilkie

**Robert Leon Wilkie Jr.** (born August 2, 1962) is an American lawyer and government official. He was the 10th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs from July 30, 2018 to January 20, 2021. He was the _acting_ Secretary from March 28, 2018 to May 29, 2018, while serving as the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness from November 30, 2017 until July 2018.

On May 18, 2018, President Trump announced that he was nominating Wilkie to hold the job full-time of United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. On July 23, 2018, Wilkie was confirmed by the United States Senate as the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs by a 86-9 vote.

## Early life

Wilkie was born in Frankfurt, West Germany. He grew up in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Wilkie Jr. received his B.A. degree from the Wake Forest University in North Carolina. He also studied at Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans in 1988 and at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C..

## Early career

Wilkie began his professional career on Capitol Hill as Counsel to Jesse Helms. In 1997, he began service as counsel and advisor on international security affairs to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott.

Wilkie served as special assistant to the President for national security affairs and a senior director of the National Security Council where he was a senior policy advisor to then-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.

Wilkie was nominated to be Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness by President Donald Trump on July 25, 2017. This nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 16, 2017.  Wilkie was a senior advisor to U.S. Senator Thom Tillis.

## Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2018–2021)

Wilkie was nominated to be Secretary of Veterans Afairs by President Trump on May 29, 2018. He was to replace fired Secretary David Shulkin. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 23, 2018, in a 86-9 vote. He was sworn-in on July 30.

## Pro-Confederate speeches

Wilkie praised Confederate President Jefferson Davis as a "martyr" and an "exceptional man in an exceptional age" in a 1995 speech at the United States Capitol.

## Awards

In 2009, Defense Secretary Robert Gates awarded him the Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest civilian award of the Department.

## Other websites

- Robert L. Wilkie, White House biography
- Robert L. Wilkie, Department of Defense biography
- DoD News Release "Wilkie Named Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs" United States Department of Defense, October 17, 2006.

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Robert Wilkie
- **image**: Robert Wilkie official portrait.jpg
- **office**: 10th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
- **president**: Donald Trump
- **deputy**: James Byrne (lawyer), James Byrne
- **term start**: July 30, 2018
- **term end**: January 20, 2021
- **predecessor**: David Shulkin
- **successor**: Denis McDonough
- **president1**: Donald Trump
- **deputy1**: Thomas G. Bowman
- **term start1**: March 28, 2018
- **term end1**: May 29, 2018
Acting
- **predecessor1**: David Shulkin
- **successor1**: Peter O'Rourke
- **office2**: Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
- **president2**: Donald Trump
- **term start2**: November 30, 2017
- **term end2**: July 23, 2018
- **predecessor2**: Jessica L. Wright
- **successor2**: TBD
- **office3**: Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs
- **president3**: George W. Bush
- **term start3**: September 30, 2006
- **term end3**: January 19, 2009
- **predecessor3**: Dan Stanley
- **successor3**: Elizabeth King
- **birth name**: Robert Leon Wilkie Jr.
- **birth place**: Frankfurt, Germany
- **party**: Republican Party (United States), Republican
- **education**: Wake Forest University
Loyola University New Orleans
Georgetown University
United States Army War College