Michael B . Donley Michael Bruce Donley ( born October 4 , 1952 ) was the 22nd Secretary of the United States Air Force . Donley has 30 years of experience in the national security community , including service on the staff of the United States Senate , White House and The Pentagon . Donley previously served as the Director of Administration and Management in the Office of the Secretary of Defense . Early life . Donley was born in Novato , California . He earned his B . A . ( 1977 ) and Master of Arts ( 1978 ) in international relations from the University of Southern California . He also attended the Program for Senior Executives in National Security at Harvard University . Donley served in the United States Army ( 1972 – 1975 ) . He attended the Army ’ s Intelligence School ( 1972 ) , Airborne school ( 1974 ) , and Defense Language Institute ( 1973 ) . He served in the 18th Airborne Corps and 5th Special Forces Group . Public service . Donley was editor of the " National Security Record " for the Heritage Foundation in 1978 and part of 1979 . He was a Legislative Assistant in the United States Senate from 1979 to 1981 , and then a professional staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee from 1981 to 1984 . Donley served as director of defense programs and Deputy Executive Secretary at the National Security Council from 1984 through 1989 . As Deputy Executive Secretary , he oversaw the White House Situation Room and chaired interagency committees on crisis management procedures and continuity of government . Earlier , as Director of Defense Programs , Mr . Donley was the NSC representative to the Defense Resources Board , and coordinated the President ' s quarterly meetings with the Joint Chiefs of Staff . He conceived and organized the President ' s Blue Ribbon Commission on Defense Management ( the Packard Commission ) , coordinated White House policy on the Goldwater - Nichols DOD Reorganization Act of 1986 , and wrote the National Security Strategy for President Ronald Reagan ' s second term . In 1989 , Donley was appointed as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force ( Financial Management and Comptroller ) . In this position , he was responsible for preparing the Air Force budget , cost estimating of weapon systems , economic analysis , and providing financial services to all Air Force personnel . He served as Assistant Secretary until 1993 , when he became Acting Secretary of the Air Force . Donley served as Acting Secretary for seven months until July 1993 . After leaving the Air Force , Donley became a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Defense Analyses . He stayed at the Institute until 1996 when he became a Senior Vice President at Hicks and Associates , Inc . , a division of Science Applications International Corporation ( SAIC ) . While there , he served as a Special Advisor to the United States Department of State for affairs in Bosnia - Herzegovina . On 9 May 2005 , United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld appointed Donley Director of Administration and Management . In this position , he oversaw 1 , 300 employees who provide administrative and support services to the Department of Defense ' s Washington headquarters which includes The Pentagon . He was responsible for the $ 5 . 5 billion Pentagon Renovation and Construction Program . Secretary of the Air Force . On 9 June 2008 , Secretary of Defense Robert M . Gates recommended that President George W . Bush nominate Donley to become the Secretary of the Air Force . Gates also announced Donley would become the Acting Secretary of the Air Force effective on 21 June 2008 . The U . S . Senate confirmed his nomination as the 22nd Secretary of the Air Force on 2 October 2008 . Donley was reappointed as the Secretary of the Air Force by President Barack Obama in January 2009 . As the Secretary of the Air Force , Donley is responsible for the operation of the Department of the Air Force , including organizing , training , equipping , and providing for the welfare of more than 300 , 000 men and women on active duty in the U . S . Air Force and their families , the 180 , 000 members of the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve , and 160 , 000 civilian employees of the Air Force . Donley also oversees the annual budget of the Department of the Air Force , about $ 110 billion . On 13 April 2009 , Donley and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Norton A . Schwartz jointly published an opinion piece in " The Washington Post " supporting the decision by Secretary Gates to discontinue the production of the F - 22 Raptor fighter plane . Donley stated the " requirements for fighter inventories have declined and F - 22 program costs have risen . " On April 26 , 2013 , Donley announced plans to step down as the Secretary of the Air Force on June 21 , 2013 . He was succeeded on that date by acting secretary Eric Fanning .