Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
Flag of an Under Secretary of Defense
Incumbent Ellen Lord since 1 February 2018
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Style	Madam Secretary The Honorable (formal address in writing)
Reports to	Secretary of Defense Deputy Secretary of Defense
Appointer	The President with the advice and consent of the Senate
Term length	No fixed term
Formation	2018
Succession	5th in SecDef succession
Deputy	The Principal Deputy Under Secretary
Salary	Level III of the Executive Schedule
Website	www.acq.osd.mil

The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or USD(A&S), is a senior civilian official in the Office of the Secretary of Defense within the Department of Defense. USD(A&S) is the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense for all matters concerning Departmental acquisition and sustainment.

The Under Secretary is appointed from civilian life by the President with the consent of the Senate to serve at the pleasure of the President.

Ellen Lord became the first Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment on 1 February 2018, after serving as the final Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.^[1]

Overview

The Office is the principal staff element for the Department of Defense for acquisitions, advanced technology, and logistics. As the Department's chief administrative officer, the Under Secretary oversees installation management, military construction, occupational health management, utilities and energy management; business management modernization, document services, and nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs.

History

The Military Retirement Reform Act of 1986 created the position of Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition (USD(A)), which was implemented with the issuance of Department of Defense Directive 5134.1 in February 1987. As part of this act, the position of Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)) was redesignated as the Director of Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E), a lower-ranking position which reported to the new USD(A).

The title of USD(A) was changed to Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology (USD(A&T)) by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994, and the position was later redesignated as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD(AT&L)) by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000. The USD(AT&L) served as the principal assistant to the Secretary of Defense for research and development, production, procurement, logistics, and military construction.^[2]

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 removed the position of USD(AT&L), and in its place it created the position of USD(R&E) once again, as well as the new position of USD(A&S). These changes took effect on 1 February 2018. As part of the reorganization, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness (ASD(L&MR)) and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment (ASD(EI&E)) positions were combined into a new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment.^[1][3]

Organization

Officials reporting to the USD(A&S) include:^[1][3]

• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy (MIBP)
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy, Planning, Resources, and Performance
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Warfare Systems Support
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Defense Procurement
  • Defense Acquisition University
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Material Readiness
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Program Support and Logistics Policy
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Transportation Policy
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense Policy
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control
• Defense Logistics Agency
• Defense Contract Management Agency
• Defense Threat Reduction Agency

Office of the Under Secretary

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics (OUSD(AT&L)), a unit of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, supervises all Department of Defense acquisitions, including procurement of goods and services, research and development, developmental testing, and contract administration, for all elements of the Department. Led by the Under Secretary, OUSD(AT&L) oversees logistics, maintenance, and sustainment support for all elements of the Department and establishes policies for the maintenance of the defense industrial base of the United States.

The work of OUSD(AT&L) is conducted through its several staff directorates, including:

• Human Capital Initiatives Directorate - responsible for executing all workforce responsibilities identified by the Secretary of Defense
• Acquisition Resources and Analyses Directorate - integrates the diverse aspects of Defense acquisition into a balanced and coherent program that supports the National Strategy and makes the most effective use of resources provided
• International Cooperation Directorate - supports the Under Secretary in all aspects of international cooperation, develops policy for international cooperative armaments programs, and provides the Under Secretary a single, integrated picture of international cooperative activities
• Special Programs Directorate - manages the DoD Special Access Program (SAP) management and control structures
• Small Business Programs Directorate - advises the Secretary of Defense on all matters related to small business and is committed to maximizing the contributions of small business in DoD acquisitions
• Administration Directorate - serves as the central focal point for all OUSD(AT&L) civilian and military personnel programs, organizational management, space, facilities, supply management, security, information management, travel, budgeting, and training
• Defense Procurement & Acquisition Policy Directorate - responsible for all acquisition and procurement policy matters in the Department, including serving as the principal advisor to the Under Secretary on acquisition/procurement strategies for all major weapon systems programs, major automated information systems programs, and services acquisitions
• Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell - provides a single point of contact in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for tracking the timeliness of immediate warfighter need actions for the senior leadership and facilitating coordination with other government agencies
• Defense Science Board - provides senior Department leadership independent advice and recommendations on scientific, technical, manufacturing, acquisition process, and other matters of special interest to the Department
• Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy - responsible for ensuring that Department policies, procedures, and actions:
  • stimulate and support vigorous competition and innovation in the industrial base supporting defense
  • establish and sustain cost-effective industrial and technological capabilities that assure military readiness and superiority

Office holders

Under Secretaries of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics^[2]

Portrait	Name	Tenure	SecDef(s) Served Under	President(s) Served Under
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition
	Richard P. Godwin	30 September 1986 – 30 September 1987	Caspar W. Weinberger	Ronald Reagan
	Robert B. Costello	18 December 1987 – 12 May 1989	Frank C. Carlucci III William Howard Taft IV (Acting) Richard B. Cheney	Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush
	John A. Betti	11 August 1989 – 31 December 1990	Richard B. Cheney	George H. W. Bush
	Donald J. Yockey	1 January 1991 – 20 January 1991 (Acting) 20 June 1991 – 20 January 1993	Richard B. Cheney	George H. W. Bush
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology
	John M. Deutch	2 April 1993 – 11 March 1994	Leslie Aspin, Jr. William J. Perry	Bill Clinton
	Paul G. Kaminski	3 October 1994 – 16 May 1997	William J. Perry William S. Cohen	Bill Clinton
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
	Jacques S. Gansler	10 November 1997 – 5 January 2001	William S. Cohen	Bill Clinton
	Edward C. Aldridge, Jr.	10 May 2001 – 23 May 2003	Donald H. Rumsfeld	George W. Bush
	Michael W. Wynne (Acting)	23 May 2003 - June 2005	Donald H. Rumsfeld	George W. Bush
	Kenneth J. Krieg[4]	6 June 2005[5] - 20 July 2007[6]	Donald H. Rumsfeld Robert M. Gates	George W. Bush
	John J. Young, Jr.[7][8]	July 2007 - 21 November 2007 (Acting) 21 November 2007 – 27 April 2009	Robert M. Gates	George W. Bush Barack Obama
	Ashton Carter[9]	27 April 2009 – 5 October 2011	Robert M. Gates Leon Panetta	Barack Obama
	Frank Kendall III[10]	6 October 2011 – 20 January 2017	Leon Panetta Chuck Hagel Ash Carter	Barack Obama
	Jimmy MacStravic[11]	20 January 2017 – 7 August 2017 (Performing the Duties of)	James Mattis	Donald Trump
	Ellen Lord	7 August 2017 – 1 February 2018	James Mattis	Donald Trump

See also

• The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) - An international defense science and technology collaboration between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Department of Defense".

External links

• Proposed and finalized federal regulations from the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics