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
The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is a headquarters-level staff of the United States Department of Defense. It is the principal civilian staff element of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and it assists the Secretary in carrying out aut ...
(OSD) within the
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...
responsible for advising the
secretary
A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...
and
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 se ...
on
recruitment
Recruitment is the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the processes involved in choosing individual ...
,
career development
Career Development or Career Development Planning refers to the process an individual may undergo to evolve their occupational status. It is the process of making decisions for long term learning, to align personal needs of physical or psychologica ...
, pay and benefits, and oversight of the state of military readiness. The under secretary is appointed from civilian life by the
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
and confirmed by 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 ...
to serve at the pleasure of the President.
Gil Cisneros
Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr. (born February 12, 1971) is an American government official, philanthropist, and politician who serves as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in the Biden administration. A member of the Democratic Par ...
is the current under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
on 11 August 2021. Additionally, he exercises day-to-day supervision of the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Defense Commissary Agency.
The previous most recent under secretary was
Matthew Donovan, who served from 23 March 2020 to 20 January 2021.
Overview
The 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
The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), headquartered at Fort Lee (Virginia), is an agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) that operates nearly 240 commissary (store), commissaries worldwide. American military commissaries sell groc ...
,
Department of Defense Education Activity
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behal ...
,
Defense Human Resources Activity
The Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) Field Activity chartered to support the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
The under secretary of defense for personnel and readines ...
, the
Military Health System
The Military Health System (MHS) is a form of nationalized health care operated within the United States Department of Defense that provides health care to active duty, Reserve component and retired U.S. Military personnel and their dependents.
...
, and the Defense Travel Management Office. The USD(P&R) is also responsible for training, health affairs,
National Guard
National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
Nat ...
and
Reserve
Reserve or reserves may refer to:
Places
* Reserve, Kansas, a US city
* Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish
* Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County
* Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...
affairs, personnel requirements for weapons support, and military and civilian family matters, subject to the authority of the Secretary of Defense. Through the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy, the
United States Military Entrance Processing Command
The United States Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM) is a Major Command of the U.S. Department of Defense, which primarily screens and processes enlisted personnel applicants into the United States Armed Forces.
USMEPCOM does n ...
also reports to the Under Secretary.
With the rank of ''Under Secretary'', the USD(P&R) is a Level III position within the
Executive Schedule
Executive Schedule () is the system of salaries given to the highest-ranked appointed officials in the executive branch of the U.S. government. The president of the United States appoints individuals to these positions, most with the advice and co ...
. Since January 2010, the annual rate of pay for Level III is $165,300.
History
The 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. 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 In the United States military, the ''Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs'' (ASD (M&RA)), formerly Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (ASD (RA)) serves as Principal Staff Assistant and advisor to the Secre ...
and the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (ASD(HA)) is chartered under United States Department of Defense Directive (DoDD) 5136.1 in 1994. This DoDD states that the ASD(HA) is the principal advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense o ...
.
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
Deployment may refer to:
Engineering and software Concepts
* Blue-green deployment, a method of installing changes to a web, app, or database server by swapping alternating production and staging servers
* Continuous deployment, a software en ...
away from assigned duty stations, and for establishing systems for reporting tracking deployments.
When created in 1993, the USD(P&R) assumed authority primarily over three DoD offices: the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (ASD(HA)) is chartered under United States Department of Defense Directive (DoDD) 5136.1 in 1994. This DoDD states that the ASD(HA) is the principal advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense o ...
,
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs In the United States military, the ''Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs'' (ASD (M&RA)), formerly Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (ASD (RA)) serves as Principal Staff Assistant and advisor to the Secre ...
, and
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness and Force Management, or ASD(R&FM), is a Defense Department position responsible for civilian and military personnel policy, readiness of the force, military community and family policy and diversit ...
. The ASD(FMP) has since been abolished, its responsibilities assumed by other officials reporting to the USD(P&R).
Reporting officials
Officials 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
***
Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute
The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) is a U.S. Department of Defense joint services school and research laboratory located at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, offering both resident and off-site courses, and working in are ...
** Director, Defense Suicide Prevention Office
** Director, Personnel Risk Reduction Office
* Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness
*
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (ASD(HA)) is chartered under United States Department of Defense Directive (DoDD) 5136.1 in 1994. This DoDD states that the ASD(HA) is the principal advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense o ...
**
Military Health System
The Military Health System (MHS) is a form of nationalized health care operated within the United States Department of Defense that provides health care to active duty, Reserve component and retired U.S. Military personnel and their dependents.
...
** Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Wounded Warrior Care & Transition Policy
*
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs In the United States military, the ''Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs'' (ASD (M&RA)), formerly Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (ASD (RA)) serves as Principal Staff Assistant and advisor to the Secre ...
** Director,
Defense Commissary Agency
The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), headquartered at Fort Lee (Virginia), is an agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) that operates nearly 240 commissary (store), commissaries worldwide. American military commissaries sell groc ...
** Director,
Department of Defense Education Activity
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behal ...
** 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
The Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) Field Activity chartered to support the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
The under secretary of defense for personnel and readines ...
* Director, DoD/VA Collaboration Office
Budget
Budget totals
The 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.
Budget features
*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
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that administers the country's naturalization and immigration system. It is a successor to the Immigration and Naturalizati ...
in the
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the I ...
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
Principal Deputy
The 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
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness and Force Management, or ASD(R&FM), is a Defense Department position responsible for civilian and military personnel policy, readiness of the force, military community and family policy and diversit ...
, 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.
As of 2012, the position again holds the rank of Principal Deputy Under Secretary.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Under Secretary Of Defense For Personnel And Readiness