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
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs those programs. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Matters's office is staffed by representatives from all areas of the nuclear community, including the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, the National Guard Bureau, the United States Nuclear Command and Control Systems Support Staff, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Agency, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, the Kansas City Plant, and the National Security Agency. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control is the principal adviser to the Assistant Secretary for Defense for