John J . Young , Jr . John Jacob Young , Jr . ( born May 29 , 1962 in Newnan , Georgia ) was United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy ( Research , Development and Acquisitions ) from 2001 to 2005 and Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition , Technology and Logistics from 2007 to 2009 . Since September 2009 , he has been a member of the board of directors of SRI International . Early life and education . John J . Young , Jr . was educated at the Georgia Institute of Technology ( bachelor ' s degree in Aerospace Engineering ) . Participating in Georgia Tech ' s cooperative education program , while in university , he worked for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth , Texas , where his work included engineering work for the F - 16 Fighting Falcon and advanced fighter technology . He next worked at the Braddock Dunn & McDonald facility in Huntsville , Alabama , where he provided engineering support for the United States Army ' s missile defense efforts . Young then returned to school , attending Stanford University , receiving a Master ' s Degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics . Early career . After earning his master ' s degree , he took a job with Rockwell International ' s Missile Systems Division in Duluth , Georgia . He joined Sandia National Laboratories in 1988 , and his work at Sandia focused on hypersonic weapons , the aerodynamics of maneuverable reentry vehicle s , and standoff bombs . Young won an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Congressional Fellowship that took him to Washington , D . C . to work for the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense ; after his fellowship , he joined the professional staff of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations as the staff analyst for United States Department of Defense procurement , research , development , test and evaluation ( RDT & E ) . In this capacity , he was responsible for reviewing all Department of Defense aircraft procurement programs , the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization , and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency . He also reviewed the science and technology budgets of the United States Navy , the United States Army , and the Office of the Secretary of Defense . Later career . On June 24 , 2001 , President of the United States George W . Bush nominated Young as Assistant Secretary of the Navy ( Research , Development and Acquisitions ) and he was sworn in on July 17 , 2001 . He served in this office until November 6 , 2005 . During his time as Assistant Secretary of the Navy ( Research , Development and Acquisitions ) , Young sought to help contain the research and development and procurement costs of the United States Department of the Navy . A supporter of missile defense , he ( along with Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Vern Clark and Lieutenant General Ronald T . Kadish ) , oversaw the transfer of the USS " Lake Erie " ( CG - 70 ) to the Missile Defense Agency ; the procurement of the RIM - 161 Standard Missile 3 ; and the modification of " Arleigh Burke " class destroyers to provide sea - based missile defense . Young began the RIM - 174 Standard ERAM program and oversaw the addition of the AIM - 120 AMRAAM to the Navy ' s Standard Missile . He also successfully earned Congressional approval for funding for the first " Virginia " class submarine . Other major initiatives included awarding contracts to begin construction of " Zumwalt " class destroyers , the P - 8 Poseidon , the " Lewis and Clark " class dry cargo ships , the VH - 71 Kestrel , and the Littoral Combat Ships . With his Air Force counterpart , he approved the Joint Tactical Radio System and the Distributed Common Ground System plan . Upon leaving the post of Assistant Secretary of the Navy ( Research , Development and Acquisitions ) in 2005 , Young became Director of Defense Research and Engineering for the United States Department of Defense . In addition to his duties as DDR & E , he successfully managed a task force that expanded the use of biometric systems to improve the security of U . S . forces and neighborhoods in Iraq . Defense Secretary Robert Gates then asked Young to lead a task for to expedite the production of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected ( MRAP ) vehicles . Under his leadership , DoD ramped up production to over 1 , 000 MRAP ' s per month , delivering over 14 , 000 MRAP ' s in roughly 18 months . These vehicles saved the lives of many soldiers from improvised explosive devices ( IED ' s ) , becoming one of the hallmarks of Secretary Gates ' tenure . In 2007 , President Bush nominated Young as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition , Technology and Logistics and , after confirmation by the United States Senate on October 4 , 2007 , Young took up this post in November 2007 . As Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition , Technology and Logistics , Young was responsible for providing United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon R . England with advice on all Department of Defense procurements , acquisitions , technological issues , and logistics . He left this post in 2009 and founded JY Strategies , LLC , where he specializes in providing strategic insight to firms on defense programs , the Department of Defense , the Congressional authorization and appropriations process and change management .