Eric Steven Edelman is an American diplomat who served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (2005–2009),U.S. Ambassador to Turkey (2003–2005),U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Finland (1998–2001),and Principal Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs (2001–2003). A career Foreign Service Officer,Edelman entered the Senior Foreign Service in 1992. He is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense's award for Distinguished Civilian Service (1993) and the State Department's Superior Honor Award.
Celeste Ann Wallander is an American international relations advisor who currently serves as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs at the United States Department of Defense.
Assistant Secretary of Defense is a title used for many high-level executive positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense within the U.S. Department of Defense. The Assistant Secretary of Defense title is junior to Under Secretary of Defense. Reorganization Plan No. 6 of 30 June 1953 increased the number of assistant secretaries. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 added three new Assistant Secretary positions under the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering. The list of Assistant Secretaries of Defense includes:
David Lutz Norquist is an American financial management professional and former government official who served as the 34th United States deputy secretary of defense from 2019 to 2021. In May of 2022,Norquist was selected as the president and chief executive officer of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).
Mark Thomas Esper is an American politician and manufacturing/high-tech executive who served as the 27th United States secretary of defense from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party,he had previously served as the 23rd U.S. secretary of the Army from November 2017 to July 2019.
Colin Hackett Kahl is an American political scientist who served as under secretary of defense for policy in the Biden administration from April 28,2021,to July 17,2023. Previously,he served as national security advisor to the vice president under then-Vice President Joe Biden (2014–2017). After the Obama administration,Kahl served as a Steven C. Házy Senior Fellow at Stanford University.
Christine Elizabeth Wormuth is an American defense official and career civil servant who serves as the United States secretary of the Army since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party,she is the first female United States secretary of the Army.
Joe Biden assumed office as the 46th president of the United States 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.
Kathleen Anne Holland Hicks is an American civil servant who has served as the United States deputy secretary of defense since 2021. She is the first Senate-confirmed woman in this role and is the highest ranking woman to have served in the United States Department of Defense.
The United States Department of Defense China Task Force was announced by the United States president Joe Biden on February 10,2021. Biden said the task force would help the United States "win the competition of the future" with China. According to the DOD News service,the task force will be led by Ely Ratner,an assistant to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III. On the day the task force was announced,Chinese leader Xi Jinping said that China sought cooperation with the United States,but that confrontation would be "definitely catastrophic for both countries and the world."
Ely Stefansky Ratner is an American political scientist currently serving as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs in the Biden administration.
Meredith Ashley Berger is an American government official who is serving as the United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy,Installations,and Environment;a position she has held since August 5,2021. From August 25,2021,until April 13,2022,she concurrently served as the designated official performing the duties of the United States Under Secretary of the Navy.
Mark Christian Colón is an American attorney and housing official who currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Housing at the Pentagon. He was previously a nominee for Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at the U.S. Department of Housing &Urban Development.
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.
John F. Plumb is an American aerospace engineer,politician,and United States Navy Reserve captain who served as the first assistant secretary of defense for space policy. He was previously the chief of government relations at The Aerospace Corporation. In 2016,he unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic Party candidate for the 23rd congressional district in New York.
President Joe Biden began his presidency with fewer vacancies to fill than his predecessor. He pledged to nominate people with diverse backgrounds and professional experience;further he pledged to nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Radha Iyengar Plumb is an American government official currently serving as the chief digital and artificial intelligence officer in the U.S. Department of Defense. She previously served as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. She was confirmed for that position by the U.S. Senate on April 18,2023 and assumed office later that month.
