Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
Seal of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
Incumbent
William A. LaPlante
since 15 April 2022
Office of the Secretary of Defense
StyleMr. Under Secretary
Reports toSecretary of Defense
Deputy Secretary of Defense
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Term lengthNo fixed term
Formation2018
Succession5th in SecDef succession
DeputyDeputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
SalaryExecutive Schedule, Level III
Websitewww.acq.osd.mil

The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or USD (A&S), is the Principal Staff Assistant (PSA) and advisor to the Secretary of Defense for all matters relating to acquisition and sustainment in the Department of Defense. This includes the DoD Acquisition System; system design and development; production; logistics and distribution; installation maintenance, management, and resilience; military construction; procurement of goods and services; material readiness; maintenance; environment and energy resilience (including renewable energy); utilities; business management modernization; International Armaments Cooperation, Cooperative Acquisition and International Agreements, Promoting exportability of military components to allies and partners; nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs; and nuclear command, control, and communications.

Ellen Lord became the first Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment on 1 February 2018, after serving as the final Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.

The Under Secretary is appointed from civilian life by the President with the consent of the Senate to serve at the pleasure of the President.