The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) is an agency of the United States Department of Defense (DOD),headquartered in Indianapolis,Indiana. DFAS was established in 1991 under the authority,direction,and control of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer to strengthen and reduce costs of financial management and operations within DOD. DFAS is responsible for all payments to servicemembers,employees,vendors,and contractors. It provides business intelligence and finance and accounting information to DOD decisionmakers. DFAS is also responsible for preparing annual financial statements and the consolidation,standardization,and modernization of finance and accounting requirements,functions,processes,operations,and systems for DOD.
John Charles Rood is an American national security adviser and former government official who served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from January 2018 to February 2020. Before that,he was Senior Vice President of Lockheed Martin where he oversaw international business. He also served as vice president for Domestic Business Development at Lockheed Martin and he was a vice president at the Raytheon Company.
The United States Department of Defense is an executive branch department of the federal government of the United States charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the U.S. government directly related to national security and the United States Armed Forces. As of June 2022,the U.S. Department of Defense is the largest employer in the world,with over 1.34 million active-duty service members,including soldiers,marines,sailors,airmen,and guardians. DoD also maintains over 778,000 National Guard and reservists,and over 747,000 civilians bringing the total to over 2.87 million employees. Headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington County,Virginia,just outside Washington,D.C.,DoD's stated mission is to provide "the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security".
The under secretary of defense (comptroller)/chief financial officer,abbreviated USD(C)/CFO,is a high level civilian official in the United States Department of Defense. The Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) is the principal staff assistant and adviser to both the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense for all budgetary and fiscal matters,including the development and execution of the Defense Department's annual budget.
David Peter Pekoske is an American government official and retired U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral who has served as the seventh administrator of the Transportation Security Administration in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since 2017. He served as the acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security from April to November 2019 and again from January to June 2021. From January 20,2021 to February 2,2021 he served as acting secretary of homeland security,during the Senate confirmation of Alejandro Mayorkas. Pekoske retired with 33 years of active military service in 2010 as the 26th vice commandant of the Coast Guard.
Donald Trump assumed office as President of the United States on January 20,2017,and his term ended on January 20,2021. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.
Patrick Michael Shanahan is a former United States federal government official who served as acting U.S. Secretary of Defense in 2019. President Donald Trump appointed Shanahan to the role after the resignation of Retired General James N. Mattis. Shanahan served as Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2017 to 2019. He previously spent 30 years at Boeing in a variety of roles.
Elaine A. McCusker is an American government official who served as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller),one of the offices of United States Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense,from 2017 to 2020.
Kenneth P. Rapuano is an American Marine who has held various global security-related posts within the U.S. federal government. He most recently served from June 2017 to January 2021 as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Global Security in the United States Department of Defense,having been confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 12,2017,by a vote of 95–1.
Robert Story Karem is an American policy advisor and government official who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Department of Defense.
Thomas W. Harker is an American government official who has served in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Department of Defense. Harker was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as an assistant secretary of the Navy and was confirmed on December 20,2017 and sworn in on January 2,2018. He was designated as the acting United States under secretary of defense (comptroller) on June 26,2020.
Kathryn Lynn Wheelbarger is an American attorney and government official,who served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs from 2018 to 2020.
John Euler Whitley is an American government official who served as the acting United States Secretary of the Army from January 20,2021,to May 28,2021. He previously serviced as Assistant Secretary of the Army and acting director of cost assessment and program evaluation for the Department of Defense.
Eric Chewning is an American businessman,veteran,former Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense,and current partner at McKinsey &Company.
James H. Anderson is an American government official and academic who served as acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Donald Trump administration.
Christopher Charles Miller is an American retired United States Army Special Forces colonel who served as acting United States secretary of defense from November 9,2020,to January 20,2021. He previously served as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center from August 10 to November 9,2020. Before his civilian service in the Department of Defense,Miller was a Green Beret,commanding 5th Special Forces Group in Iraq and Afghanistan,and later spent time as a defense contractor.
Jonathan Rath Hoffman is an American attorney,politician,and government official who served as the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs from May 2019 to January 2021. In the role,Hoffman advised the secretary and deputy secretary of defense on issues related to strategic communications,community engagement,and media relations.
Mara Elizabeth Karlin is an American foreign policy and defense advisor. In April 2021,President Joe Biden nominated Karlin to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy,Plans and Capabilities. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by voice vote on August 9,2021. Previously,she served as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. In her role,she served as the main advisor to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on U.S. security policies related to every country in Europe,the Middle East,Africa,Eurasia,and the Western Hemisphere. Her portfolio included shaping U.S. defense policy related to NATO.
