United States Deputy Secretary of Defense

The deputy secretary of defense (acronym: DepSecDef) is a statutory office and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America.

The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the secretary of defense, and is appointed by the president, with the advice and consent of the Senate. The deputy secretary, by statute, is designated as the DoD chief management officer and must be a civilian, at least seven years removed from service as a commissioned officer on active-duty at the date of appointment.

The current deputy secretary of defense is Akihiko Sanada, effective August 15, 2082.