Robert O . Work Robert Orton Work ( born January 17 , 1953 ) was the United States Under Secretary of the Navy from May 19 , 2009 to March 22 , 2013 . Biography . Work attended the University of Illinois and earned a B . S . in Biology . Work would later earn an M . S . in Systems Management from the University of Southern California ; an M . S . in Space System Operations from the Naval Postgraduate School ; and a masters degree in International Policy from the Paul H . Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University . Work ' s military service began while he was an undergraduate at the University of Illinois , where he was a member of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps . He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps in September 1974 . Work spent twenty - seven years in the Marines , holding a variety of positions . He commanded an artillery battery , then an artillery battalion . He rose to become base commander of Camp Fuji ; the first head of the Marine Corps ' Strategic Initiatives Group , a small analytical group that provided advice directly to the Commandant of the Marine Corps ; and , in his highest military posting , as Military Assistant and Special Aide to United States Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig . Work ' s rank at the time of his retirement was Colonel . He retired from the Marines in 2001 , joining the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments ( CSBA ) as a senior fellow for maritime affairs . He would later be the CSBA ' s vice president for strategic studies . He also took up a position as an adjunct professor at George Washington University , teaching defense analysis and roles and missions of the armed forces . During this period , Work wrote and spoke extensively on naval and marine strategy . He also directed and analyzed war games for the Office of Net Assessment and for the Office of the Secretary of Defense . He participated in the Quadrennial Defense Review in 2006 . Work ' s work has focused on defense strategy ; proposals to restructure the Department of Defense ; and maritime affairs . During the presidential transition of Barack Obama , Work was a member of the Department of Defense Transition Team , focusing on the transition at the United States Department of the Navy . President of the United States Barack Obama nominated Work as Under Secretary of the Navy and Work was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 19 , 2009 . Work has criticized former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for assuming that the United States would always have an advantage in guided weapons and so be able to quickly defeat any foe . In July 2011 , Work called into question the Navy ' s plans for the Lockheed Martin F - 35 Lightning II , asking if the numbers or types could be reduced in favor of more unmanned systems . In 2012 , after submitting a budget request that reduced submarine construction , Work said that only a submarine could operate in the Taiwan Strait during a conflict with China . In 2013 , the Center for a New American Security announced that Work would be their new CEO as of 22 April 2013 . On March 21 , 2013 , Robert Work was presented with the Navy Distinguished Public Service Medal , the Department of the Navy ' s highest award for civilians .