Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
The under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, or USD (P&R) is a high-ranking civilian position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) within the United States Department of Defense responsible for advising the secretary and deputy secretary of defense on recruitment, career development, pay and benefits, and oversight of the state of military readiness. The under secretary is appointed from civilian life by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve at the pleasure of the President.
| Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness | |
|---|---|
 Flag of an Under Secretary of Defense | |
 | |
| Department of Defense | |
| Abbreviation | USD (P&R) |
| Member of | Office of the Secretary of Defense |
| Reports to | Secretary of Defense |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | At the pleasure of the President |
| Formation | 16 March 1994 |
| First holder | Edwin Dorn |
| Salary | $165,300 |
| Website | Official website |
Ashish Vazirani is the current acting under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, serving since 8 September 2023. Additionally, he exercises day-to-day supervision of the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Defense Commissary Agency.[1]
The previous most recent under secretary was Gil Cisneros, who served from 24 August 2021 to 8 September 2023.
Overview
editThe Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (OUSD(P&R)) is the principal staff element for the Department of Defense for all human resources, human capital development, and personnel logistics matters. The USD(P&R) has oversight of the Defense Commissary Agency, Department of Defense Education Activity, Defense Human Resources Activity, the Military Health System, and the Defense Travel Management Office. The USD(P&R) is also responsible for training, health affairs, National Guard and Reserve affairs, personnel requirements for weapons support, and military and civilian family matters, subject to the authority of the Secretary of Defense.[2] Through the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy, the United States Military Entrance Processing Command also reports to the Under Secretary.[3]
With the rank of Under Secretary, the USD(P&R) is a Level III position within the Executive Schedule. Since January 2010, the annual rate of pay for Level III is $165,300.
History
editThe position was first mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (P.L. 103-160), signed by President Clinton on 30 November 1993.[4] Defense Directive 5124.2, passed 17 March 1994, officially established the position, incorporating the functions of the Assistant Secretary of Defense(Force Management and Personnel) and authorizing authority over the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.[5] Since the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 was signed on 5 October 1999, the Under Secretary has been responsible for establishing standards on deployment of units away from assigned duty stations, the length of time they may be away for a deployment away from assigned duty stations, and for establishing systems for reporting tracking deployments.[6]
When created in 1993, the USD(P&R) assumed authority primarily over three DoD offices: the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy. The ASD(FMP) has since been abolished, its responsibilities assumed by other officials reporting to the USD(P&R).
Reporting officials
editOfficials reporting to the USD (P&R) include:
- Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
- Military Deputy to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
- Director, Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity
- Director, Defense Suicide Prevention Office
- Director, Personnel Risk Reduction Office
- Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness
- Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
- Military Health System
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Wounded Warrior Care & Transition Policy
- Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
- Director, Defense Commissary Agency
- Director, Department of Defense Education Activity
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness
- Director, Office of Total Force Planning & Requirements
- Director, Transition to Veterans Program Office
- Director, Defense Human Resources Activity
- Director, DoD/VA Collaboration Office
Budget
editBudget totals
editThe annual budget for the USD (P&R) is contained in the Office of the Secretary of Defense's (OSD) budget, under the Defense-Wide Operation and Maintenance (O&M) account.
| Line Item | FY10 Actual | FY11 Estimate | FY12 Request |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core OSD Operating Program[8] | |||
| Civilian Pay and Benefits, USD (P&R) | 23,688 | 35,457 | 24,816 |
| Program Structure[9] | |||
| Contracts and other Support Services | 1,000 | 1,007 | 995 |
| Advancing Diversity and Equal Opportunity Program | 8,500 | 8,925 | 9,667 |
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) | 2,219 | 2,393 | 1,131 |
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (Reserve Affairs) | 2,364 | 2,691 | 2,018 |
| Combatant Commander's Exercise | 688,632 | 760,837 | 766,450 |
| Defense Safety Oversight Council | 10,692 | 12,615 | 12,550 |
| Defense Readiness Reporting System | 13,354 | 6,900 | 3,882 |
| Lost Work Days System | 3,230 | 3,060 | 3,032 |
| Military Personnel Policy Naturalization Support | 5,799 | 6,345 | 6,463 |
| Military Spouse Intern Program | 0 | 17,500 | 16,689 |
| Studies Program | 0 | 2,820 | 2,792 |
| Training Transformation | 6,563 | 6,035 | 5,112 |
| Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy | 43,664 | 79,412 | 77,623 |
| Travel | 1,338 | 1,402 | 817 |
| Overseas Contingency Operations[10] | |||
| OCO OUSD (Intel) | 2,064 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | |||
| Total Budget | 813,107 | 947,399 | 934,037 |
Budget features
edit- Contracts and other Support Services - Funds contracts and other support services for mission requirements, including Intergovernmental Personnel Act requirements
- Advancing Diversity and Equal Opportunity Program - Funding to increase the number of people with targeted disabilities in the federal civilian workforce to support the DoD goal of two percent DoD-wide, emphasizing the benefit for wounded service members
- Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) - ASD (HA) is the principal medical staff advisor to the Secretary of Defense and principal program manager for all DoD health matters to include medical readiness, health care delivery, preventive medicine, medical military construction, and the procurement, development, training and retention of medical military and civilian personnel
- Assistant Secretary of Defense (Reserve Affairs) - Funds managed by ASD (RA) are utilized to conduct valuable research and analysis for specific topics and issues that arise related to the National Guard and military Reserve components
- Combatant Commander's Exercise Engagement and Training Transformation (CE2T2) - The program was established as a result of direction from the Quadrennial Defense Review that re-aligned and consolidated joint training programs and applies resulting efficiencies against new mission areas and existing joint training shortfalls
- Defense Safety Oversight Council (DSOC) - Supports safety initiatives to reduce and prevent injuries to Defense Department personnel
- Defense Readiness Reporting System (DRRS) - Allows for quick analysis of force capability issues, effective program oversight, operator training, and data maintenance
- Lost Work Days System - Lost Work Days aims to increase operational readiness by providing data and analysis to eliminate preventable mishaps
- Military Personnel Policy (MPP) Naturalization Support - Funding to pay U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the United States Department of Homeland Security to not charge fees to military members applying for naturalization to become US citizens
- Military Spouse Intern Program - Assists eligible spouses of active duty military in obtaining positions in federal agencies by paying the spouses' salary and benefits for the first year of employment
- Studies Program - The Department contracts for assistance in facilitating studies that improve the overall operation and efficiency of the OUSD(P&R) and the programs over which it exercises oversight
- Training Transformation - Provides oversight of the Department's Joint training effort
- Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy (WWCTP) - Funds WWCTP operations that provide OSD-level oversight of the development and implementation of comprehensive disability, non-medical care and case management, and transition programs, policies and standards Department-wide
- Travel - Funds employee travel to support USD(P&R) mission
Office holders
edit| No. | Portrait | Name | Tenure | Secretary(ies) of Defense Served Under | President(s) Served Under |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Edwin Dorn | 16 March 1994 – 7 July 1997 | William Perry | Bill Clinton |
| William Cohen | |||||
| 2 |  |
Rudy de Leon | 5 August 1997 – 31 March 2000 | ||
| - |  |
Charles Cragin (acting) | 31 March 2000 – 23 May 2000 | ||
| 3 |  |
Bernard D. Rostker | 23 May 2000 – 19 January 2001 | ||
| 4 |  |
David S. C. Chu | 1 June 2001 – 20 January 2009 | Donald Rumsfeld | George W. Bush |
| Robert Gates | |||||
| - | Gail H. McGinn (acting) | 21 January 2009 – 8 February 2010 | Barack Obama | ||
| 5 |  |
Clifford Stanley | 9 February 2010 – 27 October 2011 | ||
| Leon Panetta[11][12] | |||||
| - |  |
Jo Ann Rooney (acting)[13] | 27 October 2011 – 8 June 2012 | ||
| 6 |  |
Erin C. Conaton[13] | 8 June 2012 – 31 December 2012 | ||
| 7 |  |
Jessica Wright | 1 January 2013 – 31 March 2015 | ||
| Chuck Hagel | |||||
| Ash Carter | |||||
| - |  |
Brad Carson (acting) | 2 April 2015 – 8 April 2016 | ||
| - | _Headshot.JPG) |
Peter Levine (acting) | 8 April 2016 – 20 January 2017 | ||
| - | .jpg) |
Anthony Kurta (acting) | 20 January 2017 – 30 November 2017 | Jim Mattis | Donald Trump |
| 8 | .jpg) |
Robert Wilkie | 30 November 2017 – 30 July 2018 | ||
| - |  |
Stephanie Barna (acting) | 30 July 2018 – 22 October 2018 | ||
| - | .jpg) |
James N. Stewart (acting) | 22 October 2018 – 13 December 2019 | ||
| Mark Esper | |||||
| - |  |
Matthew Donovan (acting) | 13 December 2019 – 2 March 2020 | ||
| - |  |
Alexis Lasselle Ross (acting) | 3 March 2020 – 23 March 2020 | ||
| 9 | |
Matthew Donovan | 23 March 2020 – 20 January 2021 | ||
| - | .jpg) |
Virginia S. Penrod (acting) | 20 January 2021 – 24 August 2021[14] | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| 10 |  |
Gil Cisneros | 24 August 2021 – 8 September 2023 | ||
| - | |
Ashish Vazirani (acting) | 8 September 2023 – present |
Principal Deputy
editThe Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (PDUSD(P&R)) is the Under Secretary's chief staff assistant. PDUSD (P&R) is delegated full power and authority to act for the USD(P&R) and exercise the powers of the USD(P&R) on any and all matters that the USD(P&R) is authorized to act, except in those areas where delegation of the USD(P&R) authority is otherwise restricted by higher authority or prohibited by law.
Established as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2002 (P.L. 107-107), the post took over the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy, which was then abolished. The DUSD(P&R) was re-designated Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness), or PDUSD(P&R) in July 2003 by DoD Directive 5124.8.[5] As of 2012, the position again holds the rank of Principal Deputy Under Secretary.
| Name | Tenure | USD(P&R) served under | SecDef(s) served under | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles S. Abell | 14 November 2002 – 11 July 2006 | David S. C. Chu | Donald H. Rumsfeld | George W. Bush |
| Michael L. Dominguez | 11 July 2006 – 20 January 2009 | |||
| William J. Carr (acting) | 20 January 2009 – 8 February 2010 | Michael L. Dominguez (acting) | Robert M. Gates | Barack Obama |
| Lynn C. Simpson (performing the duties of) | 8 February 2010 – 2 June 2011 | Gail McGinn (acting) | ||
| Jo Ann Rooney | 2 June 2011 - 24 May 2012 | Clifford Stanley | Leon Panetta | |
| Vacant | 24 May 2012 – 30 July 2014 | Jessica L. Wright (acting) | Chuck Hagel | |
| Laura Junor | 31 July 2014 – May 2015 | Jessica L. Wright Brad Carson (acting) |
Chuck Hagel Ashton Carter | |
| Stephanie Barna (acting) | April 8, 2016 – January 20, 2017 | Peter Levine (acting) | Ashton Carter | |
| William G. Bushman (performing the duties of) | 29 June 2019 – 20 January 2021 | James N. Stewart (acting) Matthew Donovan (acting) Alexis Lasselle Ross (acting) Matthew Donovan |
Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Julie Blanks (performing the duties of) | 20 January 2021 – 13 July 2022 | Virginia S. Penrod (acting) Gil Cisneros |
Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Ashish Vazirani | 13 July 2022 – | Gil Cisneros |
References
edit- ^ "OSD P&R Leadership". prhome.defense.gov. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "US Code: Title 10,136. Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness". Retrieved 21 September 2007.
- ^ http://prhome.defense.gov/MPP/, accessed June 2010
- ^ "H.R.2401". Retrieved 21 September 2007.
- ^ a b c d "Department of Defense Key Officials" (PDF). Historical Office, OSD. 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "S.1059". Retrieved 21 September 2007.
- ^ "Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Budget Estimates, Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)" (PDF). Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), OSD. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Budget Estimates, Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), p.664
- ^ Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Budget Estimates, Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), p.697-707
- ^ Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Budget Estimates, Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), p.714
- ^ "Biographies". U.S. Department of Defense.
- ^ "OSD P&R; Biographies: Hon. Erin C. Conaton". Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness". prhome.defense.gov.
- ^ "Virginia Penrod". www.linkedin.com.
