§132. Deputy Secretary of Defense
(a) There is a Deputy Secretary of Defense, appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Deputy Secretary shall be appointed from among persons most highly qualified for the position by reason of background and experience, including persons with appropriate management experience. A person may not be appointed as Deputy Secretary of Defense within seven years after relief from active duty as a commissioned officer of a regular component of an armed force.
(b) The Deputy Secretary shall perform such duties and exercise such powers as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe. The Deputy Secretary shall act for, and exercise the powers of, the Secretary when the Secretary dies, resigns, or is otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the office.
(c) The Deputy Secretary takes precedence in the Department of Defense immediately after the Secretary.
(d) Until September 30, 2020, the Deputy Secretary of Defense shall lead the Guam Oversight Council and shall be the Department of Defense's principal representative for coordinating the interagency efforts in matters relating to Guam, including the following executive orders:
(1) Executive Order No. 13299 of May 12, 2003 (68 Fed. Reg. 25477; 48 U.S.C. note prec. 1451; relating to the Interagency Group on Insular Affairs).
(2) Executive Order No. 12788 of January 15, 1992, as amended (57 Fed. Reg. 2213; relating to the Defense Economic Adjustment Program).
(Added
| Revised section | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
|---|---|---|
| 134(a) 134(b) |
5:171c(a) (1st sentence). 5:171c(a) (less 1st sentence and last 15 words of 2d sentence). |
July 26, 1947, ch. 343, §203(a); added Aug. 10, 1949, ch. 412, §6(a) (1st par.), |
| 134(c) | 5:171c(a) (last 15 words of 2d sentence). |
In subsection (a), the last sentence is substituted for 5 U.S.C. 171c(a) (proviso).
Editorial Notes
References in Text
Executive Order No. 13299, referred to in subsec. (d)(1), was superseded by Ex. Ord. No. 13537, Apr. 14, 2010, 75 F.R. 20237, set out as a note preceding section 1451 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions.
Executive Order No. 12788, referred to in subsec. (d)(2), is set out as a note under section 2391 of this title.
Prior Provisions
A prior section 132 was renumbered section 112 of this title.
Amendments
2019-Subsecs. (d), (e).
2017-Subsecs. (c), (d).
Subsec. (e).
2016-Subsecs. (c) to (e).
2014-Subsec. (b).
2011-Subsec. (a).
Subsec. (c).
Subsec. (d).
Subsec. (e).
2009-Subsec. (d).
2008-Subsec. (a).
Subsecs. (c), (d).
1986-
1977-
Subsec. (a).
Subsec. (b).
Subsec. (c).
1972-
Subsec. (a).
Subsec. (b).
Subsec. (c).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 2017 Amendment
Effective Date of 2016 Amendment
Effective Date of 2011 Amendment
Amendment by section 901(c)(2), (m)(2) of
Order of Succession
For order of succession during any period when the Secretary has died, resigned, or is otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the office of Secretary, see Ex. Ord. No. 13533, Mar. 1, 2010, 75 F.R. 10163, listed in a table under section 3345 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
Senior Contracting Official for Strategic Capabilities Office
"(a)
"(b)
"(1)
"(2)
"(A) A plan for oversight of the senior contracting official described under subsection (a).
"(B) An assessment of the acquisition workforce needs of the Strategic Capabilities Office to support the authority provided under subsection (a).
"(C) Other matters as appropriate."
Joint All Domain Command and Control
"(a)
"(1) close collaboration with the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, the combatant commands, and the military services regarding operational requirements and requirements satisfaction relating to joint all domain command and control; and
"(2) objective assessments to the Deputy Secretary and Vice Chairman about the progress of the Department of Defense in achieving the objectives of joint all domain command and control.
"(b)
"(1)
"(A) In consultation with the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command and the commanders of such other combatant commands as may be designated by the Deputy Secretary-
"(i) identify a prioritized list of difficult mission-critical operational challenges specific to the area of operations of the designated commands;
"(ii) design and recommend resourcing options, through the Office of Cost Analysis and Program Evaluation and the Management Action Group of the Deputy Secretary, a series of multi-domain, multi-service and multi-agency, multi-platform, and multisystem end-to-end integrated kinetic and non-kinetic mission threads, including necessary battle management functions, to solve the operational challenges identified in clause (i);
"(iii) demonstrate the ability to execute the integrated mission threads identified in clause (ii) in realistic conditions on a repeatable basis, including the ability to achieve, through mission integration software, interoperability among effects chain components that do not conform to common interface standards, including the use of the System of Systems Technology Integration Tool Chain for Heterogeneous Electronic Systems (commonly known as 'STITCHES') managed by the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing of the Department of the Air Force; and
"(iv) create a plan to deploy the mission threads to the area of operations of the United States Indo-Pacific Command and such other combatant commands as may be designated by Deputy Secretary, and execute the mission threads at the scale and pace required to solve the identified operational challenges, including necessary logistics and sustainment capabilities.
"(B) Designate organizations to serve as transition partners for integrated mission threads and ensure such integrated mission threads are maintained and exercised as operational capabilities in the United States Indo-Pacific Command and such other combatant commands as may be designated by Deputy Secretary.
"(C) Designate organizations and elements of the Department of Defense as the Deputy Secretary determines appropriate to be responsible for-
"(i) serving as mission managers for composing and demonstrating the integrated mission threads under the mission management pilot program established by section 871 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (
"(ii) providing continuing support and sustainment for, and training and exercising of, the integrated mission threads under the operational command of the Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command and such other combatant commands as may be designated by Deputy Secretary;
"(iii) planning and executing experimentation and demonstrations with-
"(I) Joint data integration approaches;
"(II) mission integration capabilities, especially software; and
"(III) Joint tactics, techniques, and procedures;
"(iv) assisting in fielding mission integration software to encourage the development and employment of such software on a larger scale, especially at the designated combatant commands;
"(v) assessing and integrating, as appropriate, the capabilities of Assault Breaker II, developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and related developmental efforts as those efforts transition to operational deployment; and
"(vi) integrating joint all domain command and control mission threads and mission command and control, including in conflicts that arise with minimal warning, and exercising other joint all domain command and control capabilities and functions.
"(D) Integrate the planning and demonstrations of the mission threads with-
"(i) the Production, Exploitation, and Dissemination Center in the United States Indo-Pacific Command;
"(ii) the Family of Integrated Targeting Cells; and
"(iii) the tactical dissemination and information sharing systems for the Armed Forces and allies of the United States, including the Mission Partner Environment and the Maven Smart System.
"(2)
"(A) to support the emphasis of the National Defense Strategy on adversary-specific deterrence postures;
"(B) to support actions that can be taken within the period covered by the future-years defense program focused on-
"(i) critical mission threads, such as kinetic kill chains and non-kinetic effects chains; and
"(ii) integrated concepts of operation;
"(C) to support demonstrations and experimentation; and
"(D) to achieve the objectives of the Joint All Domain Command and Control Strategy and Implementation Plan approved by the Deputy Secretary of Defense.
"(c)
"(1) beginning in the third quarter of fiscal year 2023, demonstrate new integrated mission threads on a regularly recurring basis multiple times each year; and
"(2) include such demonstrations, as feasible, in the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve campaign of experimentation, Valiant Shield, Northern Edge, the Large Scale Global Exercise, the quarterly Scarlet Dragon exercises, the Global Information Dominance Experiments, and annual force exercises in the area of responsibility of the United States Indo-Pacific Command.
"(d)
"(1) The term 'Deputy Secretary' means the Deputy Secretary of Defense.
"(2) The term 'Family of Integrated Targeting Cells' means the Maritime Targeting Cell-Afloat, the Maritime Targeting Cell-Expeditionary, the Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node, Tactical Operations Center Medium/Light, and other interoperable command and control nodes that are able to task the collection of, receive, process, and disseminate track and targeting information from many sensing systems in disconnected, denied, intermittent or limited bandwidth conditions.
"(3) The term 'joint all domain command and control' refers to the warfighting capabilities that support commander decision making at all echelons from campaigning to conflict, across all domains, and with partners, to deliver information advantage.
"(4) The term 'mission command' is the employment of military operations through decentralized execution based upon mission-type orders and the intent of commanders.
"(5) The terms 'mission thread', 'kill chain', and 'effects chain' have the meanings given those terms in the publication of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering titled 'Mission Engineering Guide' and dated November 2020.
"(6) The term 'Vice Chairman' means the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."
Improvement of the Strategic Capabilities Office of the Department of Defense
"(a)
"(1)
"(2)
"(3)
"(b)
"(1)
"(A) A transition cross-functional team to improve the efficiency and effectiveness with which the programs of the Office may be transitioned into-
"(i) research and development programs of the military services and other agencies of the Department of Defense; and
"(ii) programs of such services and agencies in operational use.
"(B) A technical cross functional team to improve the continuous technical assessment and review of the programs of the Office during program selection and execution.
"(2)
Assignment of Duties
"(A) The Secretary of Defense shall assign duties and authorities relating to the management of the business operations of the Department of Defense.
"(B) The Secretary shall assign such duties and authorities to the Chief Management Officer as are necessary for that official to effectively and efficiently organize the business operations of the Department of Defense.
"(C) The Secretary shall assign such duties and authorities to the Deputy Chief Management Officer as are necessary for that official to assist the Chief Management Officer to effectively and efficiently organize the business operations of the Department of Defense.
"(D) The Deputy Chief Management Officer shall perform the duties and have the authorities assigned by the Secretary under subparagraph (C) and perform such duties and have such authorities as are delegated by the Chief Management Officer."
[Position of Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense effectively abolished upon the repeal of section 132a of this title by
Assignment of Management Duties and Designation of the Chief Management Officers of the Military Departments
"(1) The Secretary of a military department shall assign duties and authorities relating to the management of the business operations of such military department.
"(2) The Secretary of a military department, in assigning duties and authorities under paragraph (1) shall designate the Under Secretary of such military department to have the primary management responsibility for business operations, to be known in the performance of such duties as the Chief Management Officer.
"(3) The Secretary shall assign such duties and authorities to the Chief Management Officer as are necessary for that official to effectively and efficiently organize the business operations of the military department concerned.
"(4) The Chief Management Officer of each military department shall promptly provide such information relating to the business operations of such department to the Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense as is necessary to assist the Chief Management Officer in the performance of the duties assigned to such official."
[Position of Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense effectively abolished upon the repeal of section 132a of this title by