United States Deputy Under Secretary of Defense

Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (DUSD) is the title for several high-ranking posts in the U.S. Department of Defense, requiring appointment by the president and are confirmed by the Senate by majority vote. There are currently six DUSDs, one for each Under Secretary of Defense.[1] From 2010 until 2017, these positions were known as Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (PDUSD). The title for these positions was renamed to remove the word "Principal" as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018.[2]

Formerly, there also existed the position of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (DUSD). Some of these positions require appointment by the president and are confirmed by the Senate by majority vote, while others did not require Senate confirmation. The use of these titles was severely restricted by the FY2010 and FY2011 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

## Current usage

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### Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense

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There currently exist six DUSDs.[3] The six DUSDs are:[4]

Position  | Portrait  | Name  | Assumed office

|
|
|

Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering |  |  |
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment |  | Brent G. Ingraham (Performing the Duties of)  | January 20, 2025
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy |  | Amanda J. Dory (acting)  | January 20, 2025
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness |  | Jules W. Hart (Performing the Duties of)  | January 20, 2025
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) |  | Anne McAndrew

(Performing the Duties of)

| January 20, 2025
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security |  |  |

Each of the DUSDs serves as the "first assistant" to the corresponding Under Secretary of Defense, and would serve as the acting Under Secretary in the Under Secretary's absence.[5] The DUSD is not "directly responsible for a specified portfolio within the Office of the Under Secretary,"[6] but instead is responsible for assisting the Under Secretary with the entire portfolio. Reporting to the DUSDs are Assistant Secretaries of Defense, who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and Directors, Directors of Defense Intelligence, and similar positions, who are not subject to Senate confirmation. The DUSD for Intelligence is required by law to be "appointed from among persons who have extensive expertise in intelligence matters."[7]

## Former usage

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### Creation and expansion of use

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The title Deputy Under Secretary of Defense was first used in 1986 with the creation of the position of DUSD for Acquisition.[8] Initially, differentiation between the PDUSD and DUSD was not clear, with some positions officially referred to by both titles.[9] By 2009, there were 29 PDUSD and DUSD positions.[10] Five of these positions were established by statute of which four required confirmation by the Senate. Others were created by the Department of Defense itself. Four of the DUSDs were designated either by Congress or by DOD to be "Principal Deputy" for the Undersecretary. These DUSDs were known as PDUSDs. The reporting relationship between the DUSDs and other senior leaders in the department was not uniform. Some DUSDs reported directly to an Under Secretary of Defense, while others reported to a PDUSD, another DUSD, or another Presidentially appointed senior official.[11] Four of the five Under Secretaries of Defense had a PDUSD reporting to them, of which two were designated by Congress and appointed by the president.

### Intervention by Congress and elimination

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In early 2009, concerned about the proliferation of the DUSD title and the lack of clarity of its role in the DOD organization, Senator Carl Levin, then the Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a letter to the Deputy Secretary of Defense requesting clarification on the role of the DUSD.[12] This letter along with discussions with the DOD led to a provision in the FY2010 NDAA that:[13]

* Established in law (10 U.S.C. § 137a) a PDUSD to be the primary deputy to each of the five Under Secretaries of Defense.
* Eliminated the DUSD roles that were mentioned in law (or transformed them into other roles).
* Directed the elimination of the DUSD role from within DOD by January 1, 2011.
* Required the DOD issue a report to Congress on how it intends to eliminate the DUSD role.

Of the 28 DUSDs that had existed prior to FY2010 NDAA, five were designated as PDUSDs, two were designated by FY2010 NDAA as Assistant Secretaries of Defense, which left 21 DUSDs for the DOD to determine the appropriate treatment of.[14] The Department of Defense proposed having 10 of the DUSDs report to an Assistant Secretary of Defense and would be changed to Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense. This required redesignating a Director as Assistant Secretaries of Defense, in accordance with the reports plan of standardizing titles, under whom four of the former DUSDs would report as well as the creation of a new Assistant Secretary position under whom the other five DUSDs would report. Two positions were eliminated by restructuring responsibilities, and four of the DUSDs were given new titles (Director, Deputy Comptroller, and Chief of Staff).[15] The remaining five positions were considered by the DOD to be responsible for "major pillars of activity" that required a sufficient title to indicate their importance, but "do not warrant being elevated to the level of a PAS official".[16] DOD believed that DUSD was the most appropriate title for these positions, and recommended that Congress amend the allow to allow them to be retained as DUSDs.[17]

Congress agreed to most of the changes proposed, redesignated the Director as an Assistant Secretary of Defense and created the new Assistant Secretary of Defense position recommended by the DOD report. However, Congress did not agree that the DUSD position should be retained, outside of the five PDUSDS, but gave DOD until January 1, 2015 to eliminate the remaining five DUSDs.[18] Of the five remaining DUSDs, three reported to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. It was determined that these should be redesignated as Directors of Defense Intelligence.[19] This title was chosen as it "properly convey appropriate status and stature for these principal policy advisors to the" Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. The DUSD for Installation and Environment was merged with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operation Energy Plans & Programs (renamed the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment).[20] The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy was restructured to eliminate one of the Assistant Secretary of Defense positions, and the DUSD for Strategy Plans and Forces was elevated to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy Plans and Capabilities.[21]

## Notes

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1. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 137a(a)(3)
2. ^ Pub. L. 115–91: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (text) (PDF) Section 906
3. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 137a(a)(1)
4. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 137a(c)
5. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 137a(b)
6. ^ ODAM 2010. p. 10
7. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 137a(c)(5)
8. ^ ODAM 2010. p. 2
9. ^ ODAM 2010. p.2-3
10. ^ ODAM 2010. p. 4, 36.
11. ^ ODAM 2010. p. 3, 54; ODAM 2014 p3, figure 3.
12. ^ ODAM 2010. p. 33-34
13. ^ ODAM 2010. p. 5
14. ^ ODAM 2014 p. 2 fig. 2.
15. ^ ODAM 2010. p. 17-19.
16. ^ ODAM 2010 p. 20.
17. ^ ODAM 2010 p. 21-22.
18. ^ ODAM 2014. p. 2
19. ^ ODAM 2014. p. 8-9
20. ^ ODAM 2014. p. 5-6
21. ^ ODAM 2014. p. 7-8

## References

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ODAM (April 2010). "Revised Organizational Structure for the Office of the Secretary of Defense" (PDF). Report to Congress. Department of Defense.

ODAM (April 2014). "Reorganization of the Office of the Secretary of Defense to Carry Out Reductions in the Number of Deputy Under Secretaries of Defense: Report to Congress" (PDF). Department of Defense.

* v
* t
* e

United States Department of Defense

* Headquarters: The Pentagon

* Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense
* Robert G. Salesses, Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense

Office of the Secretary of Defense
(including defense agencies and DoD field activities)

| Deputy Secretary of Defense|

* Deputy's Advisory Working Group
* Office of Net Assessment
* Special Access Program Oversight Committee

|

Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)|

* Defense Contract Audit Agency
* Defense Finance and Accounting Service

Under Secretary of Defense
for Acquisition and Sustainment|

* Defense Contract Management Agency
* Defense Logistics Agency
* Defense Threat Reduction Agency
* Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation
* Defense Acquisition University
* Defense Acquisition Board
* Defense Microelectronics Activity

Under Secretary of Defense
for Intelligence and Security|

* Defense Intelligence Agency
* Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
* Defense Information Systems Agency
* White House Communications Agency
* National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
* National Reconnaissance Office
* National Security Agency/Central Security Service
* Director/Chief

Under Secretary of Defense
for Personnel and Readiness|

* Defense Commissary Agency
* Department of Defense Education Activity
* Defense Human Resources Activity
* Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support
* Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute
* Defense Travel Management Office
* Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service
* Defense Health Agency
* Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy|

* Defense Security Cooperation Agency
* Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
* Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee

Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs|

* Defense Media Activity
* American Forces Network
* Defense Information School
* Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
* Stars and Stripes

Under Secretary of Defense
for Research and Engineering|

* Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
* Defense Innovation Unit
* Defense Technical Information Center
* Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center
* Missile Defense Agency

General Counsel of the Department of Defense|

* Defense Legal Services Agency (Office of Military Commissions)

Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense|

* Pentagon Force Protection Agency
* Washington Headquarters Services (White House Military Office)

Reports directly|

* Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs

Military Departments

| Department of the Army|

* Secretary of the Army
The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Army
* Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology
* Assistant Secretary for Civil Works
* Assistant Secretary (Financial Management and Comptroller)
* Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment
* Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
* General Counsel of the Army
* The Administrative Assistant
The Army Staff: Chief of Staff of the Army
* Vice Chief of Staff of the Army
* Sergeant Major of the Army
* Deputy Chief of Staff G-8 Programs
* Chief of Chaplains
* Judge Advocate General
* Provost Marshal General
* Surgeon General
U.S. Army field organizations: see Structure of the United States Army

|

Department of the Navy|

* Secretary of the Navy
The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Navy
* Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment)
* Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller)
* Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
* Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition)
* General Counsel of the Navy
* Judge Advocate General
* Naval Criminal Investigative Service
* Naval Inspector General
Headquarters Marine Corps: Commandant of the Marine Corps
* Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
* Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
* Chaplain
U.S. Marine Corps field organizations: see Organization of the United States Marine Corps
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations: Chief of Naval Operations
* Vice Chief of Naval Operations
* Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
* Director of Naval Reactors
* Chief of Chaplains
* Chief of Naval Personnel
* Surgeon General
United States Navy field organizations: see Structure of the United States Navy

Department of the Air Force|

* Secretary of the Air Force
The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Air Force
* Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics)
* Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management & Comptroller)
* Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Installations, Environment & Energy)
* Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs)
* General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force
* Air Force Office of Special Investigations
The Air Staff: Chief of Staff of the Air Force
* Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force
* Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
* Chief of Chaplains
* Chief of Safety
* Chief Scientist
* Judge Advocate General
* Surgeon General
U.S. Air Force field organizations: Major Commands
* Direct Reporting Units
* Field Operating Agencies
Space Staff: Chief of Space Operations
* United States Space Force field organizations

Joint Chiefs of Staff

* Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
* Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
* Joint Requirements Oversight Council
* Director of the Joint Staff
* Joint Staff
* National Military Command Center
* Alternate National Military Command Center
* National Defense University
* Joint Personnel Recovery Agency

Combatant Commands

* Africa Command
* Central Command
* European Command
* Northern Command
* Indo-Pacific Command
* Southern Command
* Space Command
* Cyber Command
* Special Operations Command
* Strategic Command
* Transportation Command

National Guard Bureau

* Chief of the National Guard Bureau
* Air National Guard
* Army National Guard

Office of the Inspector General

* Defense Criminal Investigative Service

*[Pub. L.]: Public Law
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