United States Deputy Secretary of Defense

The United States deputy secretary of defense (DepSecDef) is the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense (DoD). The position was established in 1947 with the National Security Act. The first person to hold this position is Stephen Early.

The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the secretary of defense, and is appointed by the president, with the advice and consent of the Senate. The deputy secretary, by statute, is designated as the DoD chief management officer and must be a civilian, at least seven years removed from service as a commissioned officer on active-duty at the date of appointment..

 Duties 
The deputy secretary of defense has full power and authority to act for the secretary of defense and to exercise the powers of the secretary of defense on any and all matters for which the secretary is authorized to act pursuant to statute or executive order. The deputy secretary is first in the line of succession to the secretary of defense.

The basic role of the deputy secretary of defense is to oversee the day-to-day business and lead the internal management processes of the $500-billion-plus Department of Defense budget, that is as its chief operating officer.

The deputy secretary, among the office's many responsibilities, chairs the Senior Level Review Group (SLRG), before 2005 known as Defense Resources Board (DRB), which provides department-wide budgetary allocation recommendations to the Secretary and the President. Traditionally, the deputy secretary has been the civilian official guiding the process of the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).

The deputy secretary of defense chairs the Special Access Program Oversight Committee (SAPOC), which has oversight duties and provides recommendations with respect to changes in status of the Department's Special Access Programs, for either the deputy secretary defense or the secretary of defense to make.

 List of deputy secretaries of defense 
No.ImageNameTerm of officeServing under
Secretaries of DefenseAppointed by
PresidentBeganEndedTime in office1124x124pxStephen EarlyAugust 10, 1949September 30, 1950Louis A. Johnson
George C. MarshallHarry S. Truman2124x124pxRobert A. LovettOctober 4, 1950September 16, 1951George C. Marshall3160x160pxWilliam Chapman FosterSeptember 24, 1951January 20, 1953Robert A. Lovett4125x125pxRoger M. KyesFebruary 2, 1953May 1, 1954Charles Erwin WilsonDwight D. Eisenhower5141x141pxRobert B. AndersonMay 3, 1954August 4, 19556125x125pxReuben B. Robertson Jr.August 5, 1955April 25, 19577126x126pxDonald A. QuarlesMay 1, 1957May 8, 1959Charles Erwin Wilson
Neil H. McElroy8123x123pxThomas S. Gates Jr.June 8, 1959December 1, 1959Neil H. McElroy9131x131pxJames H. Douglas Jr.December 11, 1959January 24, 1961Thomas S. Gates Jr.
Robert McNamara10126x126pxRoswell GilpatricJanuary 24, 1961January 20, 1964Robert McNamaraJohn F. Kennedy11145x145pxCyrus VanceJanuary 28, 1964June 30, 1967Lyndon B. Johnson12128x128pxPaul NitzeJuly 1, 1967January 20, 1969Robert McNamara
Clark Clifford13125x125pxDavid PackardJanuary 24, 1969December 13, 1971Melvin LairdRichard Nixon14127x127pxKenneth RushFebruary 23, 1972January 29, 197315133x133pxBill ClementsJanuary 30, 1973January 20, 1977Elliot Richardson
James R. Schlesinger
Donald Rumsfeld16115x115pxRobert EllsworthDecember 23, 1975Department of Defense Key Officials 1947–2015: p. 16.January 10, 1977Donald RumsfeldGerald Ford17133x133pxCharles Duncan Jr.January 31, 1977July 26, 1979Harold BrownJimmy Carter18100x100pxW. Graham Claytor Jr.August 24, 1979January 16, 198119131x131pxFrank CarlucciFebruary 4, 1981December 31, 1982Caspar WeinbergerRonald Reagan20125x125pxW. Paul ThayerJanuary 12, 1983January 4, 198421134x134pxWilliam Howard Taft IVFebruary 3, 1984April 22, 1989Caspar Weinberger
Frank Carlucci
Dick Cheney22142x142pxDonald J. Atwood Jr.April 24, 1989January 20, 1993Dick CheneyGeorge H. W. Bush23129x129pxWilliam PerryMarch 5, 1993February 3, 1994Les AspinBill Clinton24133x133pxJohn M. DeutchMarch 11, 1994May 10, 1995William Perry25133x133pxJohn P. WhiteJune 22, 1995July 15, 1997William Perry
William Cohen26137x137pxJohn HamreJuly 29, 1997March 31, 2000William Cohen27135x135pxRudy de LeonMarch 31, 2000Department of Defense Key Officials 1947–2015: p. 17.March 1, 2001William Cohen
Donald Rumsfeld28128x128pxPaul WolfowitzMarch 2, 2001Department of Defense Key Officials 1947–2015: p. 18.May 13, 2005Donald RumsfeldGeorge W. Bush29138x138pxGordon R. EnglandJanuary 4, 2006February 11, 2009Donald Rumsfeld
Robert Gates30135x135pxWilliam J. Lynn IIIFebruary 12, 2009October 5, 2011Robert Gates
Leon PanettaBarack Obama31132x132pxAsh CarterOctober 6, 2011December 4, 2013Leon Panetta
Chuck Hagel—131x131pxChristine Fox
ActingDecember 5, 2013May 1, 2014Chuck Hagel32133x133pxRobert O. WorkMay 1, 2014July 14, 2017Chuck Hagel
Ash Carter
Jim Mattis33144x144pxPatrick M. ShanahanJuly 19, 2017June 23, 2019Jim Mattis
Himself (acting)Donald Trump—136x136pxDavid Norquist
ActingJanuary 1, 2019July 23, 2019Patrick M. Shanahan (acting)
Mark Esper (acting)
Richard V. Spencer (acting)—140x140pxRichard V. Spencer
ActingJuly 23, 2019July 31, 2019Mark Esper34140x140pxDavid NorquistJuly 31, 2019February 8, 2021Mark Esper
Lloyd Austin35144x144pxKathleen HicksFebruary 8, 2021January 20, 2025Lloyd AustinJoe Biden—133x133pxRobert G. Salesseshttps://history.defense.gov/Portals/70/Documents/key_officials/KeyOfficials-2025-02-05.pdf?ver=u8HG3PRZlHKgsEybATUYAw%3d%3d
ActingJanuary 28, 2025March 17, 2025Pete HegsethDonald Trump36125x125pxStephen FeinbergMarch 17, 2025Incumbent

References

 Sources 


Category:United States Department of Defense officials
Category:United States Department of Defense