The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD),the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces,and is a high-ranking member of the federal cabinet. The secretary of defense's position of command and authority over the military is second only to that of the president of the United States,who is the commander-in-chief. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a defense minister in many other countries. The president appoints the secretary of defense with the advice and consent of the Senate,and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council.
The deputy secretary of defense is a statutory office and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America.
The military budget of the United States is the largest portion of the discretionary federal budget allocated to the Department of Defense (DoD),or more broadly,the portion of the budget that goes to any military-related expenditures. The military budget pays the salaries,training,and health care of uniformed and civilian personnel,maintains arms,equipment and facilities,funds operations,and develops and buys new items. The budget funds six branches of the US military:the Army,Navy,Marine Corps,Coast Guard,Air Force,and Space Force.
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) is an agency of the United States Department of Defense (DOD),headquartered in Indianapolis,Indiana. The 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 the DOD. The DFAS is responsible for all payments to servicemembers,employees,vendors,and contractors. It provides business intelligence and finance and accounting information to DOD decisionmakers. The 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 the DOD.
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 November 2022,the U.S. Department of Defense is the second largest employer in the world after India,with over 1.4 million active-duty service personnel,including soldiers,marines,sailors,airmen,and guardians. The Department of Defense also maintains over 778,000 National Guard and reservists,and over 747,000 civilians,bringing the total to over 2.91 million employees. Headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington County,Virginia,just outside Washington,D.C.,the Department of Defense'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)/CFO 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.
John Holden Gibson II is an American businessman and government official. Gibson is the former Chief Management Officer of the United States Department of Defense. Prior to serving as CMO,Gibson served as the Deputy Chief Management Officer for the Defense Department from November 2017 to February 2018. He has been chief financial officer,chief operating officer,and managing director for several companies including a national consulting group. Gibson previously served as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Management Reform and as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force.
Robert Leon Wilkie Jr. is an American lawyer and government official who served as the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2018 to 2021,during the Trump administration. He was previously Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness during the Trump administration,from November 2017 to July 2018. A Naval intelligence officer in the Reserve,he was Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs in the administration of President George W. Bush.
Robert F. Hale was the United States Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) from 2009 until 2014 and before that the Comptroller and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management. Hale has over thirty years of experience as a professional financial manager serving in a wide range of national defense related roles. In addition to his most recent position as Under Secretary of Defense and his previous appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force,Hale has also served in the National Security Division of the Congressional Budget Office and as Executive Director of the American Society of Military Comptrollers. Hale is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and a former member of the Defense Business Board. He was appointed to the National Commission on the Future of the Army by Representative Adam Smith (D-WA).
Betty Jean Sapp is the former Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (DNRO). She served as a United States Air Force Officer in a variety of roles,before joining the Central Intelligence Agency in 1997. She was the first female Director of the NRO,serving nearly seven years.
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering,abbreviated USD (R&E),is a senior official of the United States Department of Defense. The USD (R&E) is charged with the development and oversight of technology strategy for the DoD. The post has at various times had the titles Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering,or Director of Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E). The latter title has itself historically varied between the rank of under secretary and that of assistant secretary.
Mary Sally Matiella is an American government official and political candidate who served as the Assistant Secretary of the Army during the Obama Administration. After several decades of federal civil service,Matiella served as the Assistant Secretary of the Army,holding office from February 16,2010,until February 27,2014,when she resigned and was succeeded by Robert M. Speer.
Brian Eugene "Lex" Luther is a rear admiral in the United States Navy.
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).
The chief management officer (CMO) of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) was the third-in-command of the department after the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense. The position's purpose was to reduce costs by improving the quality and productivity of DoD's business operations. Congress disestablished the CMO position with the passage of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 effective 1 January 2021.
Michael John Kotsakas Kratsios is an American business executive and government official. He served as the fourth Chief Technology Officer of the United States at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In this role,Kratsios served as President Donald Trump's top technology advisor. From July 10,2020 to January 20,2021,Kratsios was also the Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
Donna D. Shipton is a United States Air Force lieutenant general who serves as commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. The center is responsible for total life cycle management for aircraft,engines,munitions,electronic,computer,network,cyber and agile combat support systems. The center employs more than 28,000 people and has a budget of over $300 billion. Previously she served as military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition,Technology and Logistics.
Kathleen Anne Holland Hicks is an American civil servant who served as the United States deputy secretary of defense from 2021 to 2025. 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.
Tina Westby Jonas is an expert in military,defense,and aerospace industries. She was an undersecretary of defense at the United States Department of Defense and had also served as chief financial officer of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
