David Lutz Norquist (born November 24, 1966) is an American financial management professional and former government official who served as the 34th United States deputy secretary of defense from 2019 to 2021. In May of 2022, Norquist was selected as the president and chief executive officer of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).

Early life and education

Norquist graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters in Public Policy in 1989. In 1995, he received a master's degree in national security studies from Georgetown University. He is the brother of lobbyist Grover Norquist.

Career

Norquist began his career in 1989 as a Presidential Management Fellow and GS-9 Program Budget Analyst, a federal civil servant position for the

Department of the Army The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is org ...

; he served in that position for four years. From 1993 to 1995, he was a budget analyst in the

U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command The United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) is a direct reporting unit that conducts intelligence, security, and information operations for United States Army commanders, partners in the Intelligence Community, and nationa ...

. Norquist was Director of Resource Management at Menwith Hill Station in Harrogate, United Kingdom for the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command from 1995 to 1996. For six years, between 1997 and 2002, Norquist worked as a staffer on the Subcommittee on Defense for the House Appropriations Committee. Between 2002 and 2006, he was

Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (DUSD) is the title for several high-ranking posts in the U.S. Department of Defense, requiring appointment by the president and are confirmed by the Senate by majority vote. There are currently six DUSDs, one for ...

in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller of the Department of Defense. In 2006, Norquist was selected by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to be Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Homeland Security. He served in this position from June 1, 2006 to December 1, 2008. As the first person to be confirmed by the Senate for that position, he took steps to address widespread problems with DHS's financial statements. In 2008, Norquist joined

Kearney & Company Kearney & Company is a CPA firm established in 1985. It is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. It exclusively serves the federal government of the United States. Kearney & Company are the 'independent auditors' of the United States Department of ...

, a certified public accounting firm, as a partner. On March 20, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Norquist to be Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer in the Department of Defense. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 25, 2017 by unanimous consent and began serving on June 2, 2017. As Comptroller, he oversaw DoD's first-ever department-wide

audit An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon.” Auditing ...

of $2.7 trillion in assets, which involved over 1,000 outside auditors and discovered "major flaws" but no "major cases of fraud or abuse."

Deputy Secretary of Defense

Following the December 2018 resignation of Jim Mattis as

secretary of defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

, deputy secretary Patrick Shanahan was made the acting secretary of defense and Norquist was made acting deputy secretary. He served as acting deputy for several months before being formally nominated for the position. After Shanahan suddenly resigned on June 18, 2019, President Trump announced his intention to nominate

Army secretary The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

Mark Esper to be defense secretary. On June 21, the president announced his intention to nominate Norquist to be deputy secretary. His nomination was sent to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on July 23, and he was confirmed by voice vote on July 30, 2019, after having acted in the role for nearly seven months. Norquist pledged to shake up the

defense budget A military budget (or military expenditure), also known as a defense budget, is the amount of financial resources dedicated by a state to raising and maintaining an armed forces or other methods essential for defense purposes. Financing militar ...

and to place a high priority on funding

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

of cutting-edge technologies such as

hypersonics In aerodynamics, a hypersonic speed is one that exceeds 5 times the speed of sound, often stated as starting at speeds of Mach 5 and above. The precise Mach number at which a craft can be said to be flying at hypersonic speed varies, since ind ...

and artificial intelligence. On August 2, 2019, he signed a memo to department leaders ordering a comprehensive, "zero-based" program and budget review for 2021 to 2025.

Acting Secretary of Defense

Norquist became the acting secretary of defense on January 20, 2021, and served in that role until Lloyd Austin, the Biden administration's nominee, was confirmed by the Senate on January 22.

Personal life

Norquist and his wife, Stephanie, have three children. He is the younger brother of Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform.

Publications

*
The Defense Budget. Is It Transformational?
, Joint Force Quarterly (National Defense University publication), Summer 2002.

References

External links

* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Norquist, David 1966 births American people of Swedish descent Biden administration cabinet members Comptrollers in the United States Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy alumni George W. Bush administration personnel Living people Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni Trump administration personnel United States Deputy Secretaries of Defense United States Under Secretaries of Defense Virginia Republicans