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Young Appointed to Serve as Under Secretary of Defense for A, T, & L

Young Chosen to Oversee DoD Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight

By Cynthia Greenwood

On July 21, 2007, John J. Young, Jr. was nominated to be the DoD’s new Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD [A,T, & L]). Kenneth Krieg left that DoD position during that period after serving for two years. Young then assumed the role of Acting USD for A, T, & L until the Senate confirmed his appointment in mid-November.

As the third DoD Corrosion Executive, Young will continue the effort spearheaded by the U.S. Congress and his predecessors, former USD (A,T, & L) Michael Wynne and Kenneth Krieg.

In his new position Young will also advise Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and his deputy on matters involving the acquisition of weapons and equipment, research and development, testing, production, logistics, installation, military construction, procurement, and environmental security. He will also advise Secretary Gates on logistics policy issues.

Before being nominated for his current post by President George W. Bush, Young served as Director of Defense Research and Engineering for nearly two years. Within that position he effectively served as the DoD’s Chief Technology Officer, charged with overseeing a $70 billion research enterprise encompassing Basic and Applied Research, the Armed Services laboratories, federally funded Research and Development Centers, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Defense Technical Information Center.

Young is the former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition. As the Navy's Senior Acquisition Executive, Young implemented a wide range of innovative organizational and business practices to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of Navy and Marine Corps procurement and research programs. He stabilized programs and controlled cost through emphasis on milestone-based incentive fees, control of change orders and requirements, multi-year procurement contracts, and creation of competitive and joint programs.

Previously, Young worked as part of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Professional Staff. In that capacity, he served as the staff analyst for DoD procurement, research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) programs. Before leaving the Committee, he was responsible for reviewing all DoD aircraft procurement programs as well as the activities of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He also evaluated the science and technology program budgets for the Navy, Air Force, and Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).