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
Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense) Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense) Harold Brown (born September 19, 1927) is an American scientist who served as U.S. Secretary of Defense from 1977 to 1981 in the cabinet of President Jimmy Carter. He had previously served in the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson administrations as Director of Defense Research and Engineering and Secretary of the Air Force. In the last stages of the Cold War, as Secretary of Defense, he set the groundwork for the Camp David Accords. He took part in the strategic arms negotiations with the Soviet Union and supported, unsuccessfully, ratification of the SALT II