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.
Anthony Joseph Principi is the former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was appointed by President George W. Bush on January 23,2001,and resigned on January 26,2005. He Chaired the 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission,BRAC and is currently serving as a Consultant &Board member of several diverse Foundations &Corporations.
Peter Pace is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pace was the first Marine officer appointed as chairman and the first Marine officer to be appointed to three different four-star assignments;the others were as the sixth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1,2001,to August 12,2005,and as Commander-in-Chief,U.S. Southern Command from September 8,2000,to September 30,2001. Appointed chairman by President George W. Bush,Pace succeeded U.S. Air Force General Richard Myers on September 30,2005.
Michèle Angélique Flournoy is an American defense policy advisor who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy under President Bill Clinton and under secretary of defense for policy under President Barack Obama.
Admiral is a four-star commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy,the United States Coast Guard,and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below fleet admiral in the Navy;the Coast Guard and the Public Health Service do not have an established grade above admiral. Admiral is equivalent to the rank of general in the other uniformed services. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps has never had an officer hold the grade of admiral. However,37 U.S.C. § 201 of the U.S. Code established the grade for the NOAA Corps,in case a position is created that merits the four-star grade.
Michael Harold "Mike" Miller is a former Vice Admiral in the United States Navy,and was the first active-duty officer to direct the White House Military Office. He was the 61st Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy.
Thad William Allen is a former admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 23rd commandant from 2006 to 2010. Allen is best known for his performance directing the federal response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast region from September 2005 to January 2006,and for his role as National Incident Commander of the Unified Command for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Robert J. Papp Jr. succeeded him as Commandant on 25 May 2010.
Albert Joseph Herberger was a Vice Admiral of the United States Navy,and the first United States Merchant Marine Academy graduate to attain the rank.
The deputy secretary of veterans affairs,in the United States government,is the chief operating officer of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,responsible for a nationwide system of health care services,benefits programs,and national cemeteries for America's veterans and their dependents. The deputy secretary is the second-highest-ranking officer in the department and succeeds the secretary in the event of his resignation,death,or otherwise inability to fulfill his duties.
Margaret DeLuca "Peg" Klein is a former United States Navy officer who held the rank of rear admiral at the time of her retirement in March 2017. She currently serves as the dean of the College of Leadership and Ethics at the Naval War College.
Kurt Michael Campbell is an American diplomat and businessman serving as the United States deputy secretary of state since 2024. He previously served as National Security Council coordinator for the Indo-Pacific from 2021 to 2024. In this capacity,Campbell had been referred to as the Biden administration's "Asia coordinator" or "Asia czar"—chief architect of Joe Biden's Asia strategy.
John Collins Harvey Jr. is a former United States Navy four-star admiral who last served as the 31st Commander,United States Fleet Forces Command from July 24,2009 to September 14,2012. He previously served as Director,Navy Staff (N09B) from March 24,2008 to July 23,2009. Prior to that,he served as the 54th Chief of Naval Personnel and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (N1) from November 2005 to April 2008. He retired from the navy after more than 39 years of service.
James Edwin McPherson is an American government official and retired United States Navy rear admiral. He served as the General Counsel of the Army from January 2,2018,to March 24,2020. He served as the United States Under Secretary of the Army from March 25,2020,to January 20,2021,and in acting capacity from July 23,2019,to March 24,2020. He served as Acting United States Secretary of the Navy from April 7,2020,to May 29,2020,following the resignation of Thomas Modly.
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.
John F. Kirby is a retired United States Navy rear admiral serving as White House National Security Communications Advisor since 2022. He previously served in the Biden administration as Pentagon Press Secretary and Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs from 2021 to 2022. He worked as a military and diplomatic analyst for CNN from 2017 to 2021. He served in the Obama administration as Pentagon Press Secretary from 2013 to 2015 and as the spokesperson for the United States Department of State and Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from 2015 to 2017.
Althea Helen "Allie" Coetzee Leslie is a retired rear admiral in the United States Navy who served as Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration from August 2017 to April 2018. Prior to her role with the Small Business Administration,she served as Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition,Technology and Logistics. Coetzee was confirmed as Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration by the U.S. Senate on August 3,2017. She resigned as the Deputy Administrator on April 15,2018.
Anthony Michael Kurta is a retired United States Navy Rear Admiral and government official. Having served as the Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness for most of 2017,he was President Donald Trump's nominee to become Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Kurta previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy and Director of Navy Flag Officer Management and Development.
Christopher Watson Grady is a United States Navy admiral who is currently serving as the 12th vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since December 20,2021.
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