United States Secretary of Defense to die was Frank Carlucci (1987–1989), on 3 June 2018. United States Secretary of Defense The Secretary of Defense (SecDef) is the leader and chief executive officer of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the Armed Forces of the United States. The Secretary of Defense's position of command and authority over the United States' military is second only to that of the President and Congress, respectively. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in many other countries. The Secretary of Defense is appointed by the President with the advice and consent
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment 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