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 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(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". Officials reporting