Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or USD, is a senior civilian official in the Office of the Secretary of Defense within the Department of Defense. USD 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.
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, 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 was redesignated as the Director of Defense Research and Engineering, a lower-ranking position which reported to the new USD.The title of USD was changed to Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology 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 by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000. The USD served as the principal assistant to the Secretary of Defense for research and development, production, procurement, logistics, and military construction.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 removed the position of USD, and in its place it created the position of USD once again, as well as the new position of USD. These changes took effect on 1 February 2018. As part of the reorganization, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment positions were combined into a new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment.
Organization
As of the July 2018 reorganization, officials reporting to the USD include:- Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition
- *Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Management and Analysis
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Platform and Weapon Portfolio Management
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Information and Integration Portfolio Management
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Services and Business Systems
- *Director, Contracting
- *Defense Acquisition University
- *Defense Contract Management Agency
- Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment
- *Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Enterprise Solutions
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Product Support
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Materiel Readiness
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Environment
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Infrastructure
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Facilities Management
- *Office of Economic Adjustment
- *Defense Logistics Agency
- Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters
- *Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense Programs
- *Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy
- Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell
- Office of Special Programs
- Office of Strategy, Data, and Design
- Office of International Coopration
Office of the Under Secretary
The work of OUSD 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 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 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 Industrial 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
| Name | Tenure | USD Served Under | SecDef Served Under | President Served Under |
| Milton Lohr | 3 October 1988 – 12 May 1989 | Robert B. Costello | Richard B. Cheney | George H.W. Bush |
| Donald J. Yockey | 12 March 1990 – 20 January 1991 | John A. Betti | Richard B. Cheney | George H.W. Bush |
| Donald C. Fraser | 4 December 1991 – 13 January 1993 | Donald J. Yockey | Richard B. Cheney | George H.W. Bush |
| Noel Longuemare, Jr. | 18 November 1993 – 21 November 1997 | John M. Deutch Paul G. Kaminski Jacques S. Gansler | Leslie Aspin, Jr. William J. Perry William S. Cohen | Bill Clinton |
| David Oliver | 1 June 1998 – 14 July 2001 | Jacques S. Gansler Edward C. Aldridge, Jr. | William S. Cohen Donald H. Rumsfeld | Bill Clinton George W. Bush |
| Michael W. Wynne | 17 July 2001 - 2005 | Edward C. Aldridge, Jr. | Donald H. Rumsfeld | George W. Bush |
| Frank Kendall III | 8 March 2010 – 5 October 2011 | Ashton Carter | Robert M. Gates Leon Panetta | Barack Obama |
| Alan Estevez | 6 October 2011 – 20 January 2017 | Frank Kendall III | Leon Panetta Chuck Hagel Ash Carter | Barack Obama |
| Vacant | 20 January 2017 – 1 February 2018 | Ellen Lord | James Mattis | Donald Trump |