Robert O. Work

Robert O. Work
32nd United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
Incumbent
Assumed office May 1, 2014
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Christine Fox (Acting)
United States Undersecretary of the Navy
In office May 19, 2009 – March 22, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Dionel Aviles
Succeeded by	Janine A. Davidson
Personal details
Born	Robert Orton Work January 17, 1953 Charlotte, North Carolina[1]
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	University of Illinois University of Southern California Naval Postgraduate School Johns Hopkins University
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1974–2001
Rank	Colonel

Robert Orton Work (born January 17, 1953)^[2] is a United States national security professional who serves as the current United States Deputy Secretary of Defense. Prior to that, Work was the United States Under Secretary of the Navy from May 19, 2009 to March 22, 2013.^[3]

Life and career

Work was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of Illinois and earned a B.S. in Biology. Work later earned an M.S. in Systems Management from the University of Southern California; an M.S. in Space System Operations from the Naval Postgraduate School; and a master's degree in International Policy from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Work's military service began while he was an undergraduate at the University of Illinois, where he was a member of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps in September 1974.

Work spent 27 years in the Marines, holding a variety of positions. He commanded an artillery battery, then an artillery battalion. He rose to become base commander of Camp Fuji; the first head of the Marine Corps' Strategic Initiatives Group, a small analytical group that provided advice directly to the Commandant of the Marine Corps; and, in his highest military posting, as Military Assistant and Special Aide to United States Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig. Work's rank when he retired from the Marines in 2001 was Colonel.

He joined the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) as a senior fellow for maritime affairs. He later became the CSBA's vice president for strategic studies. He also took a position as an adjunct professor at George Washington University, teaching defense analysis and roles and missions of the armed forces. During this period, Work wrote and spoke extensively on naval and marine strategy. He also directed and analyzed war games for the Office of Net Assessment and for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He participated in the Quadrennial Defense Review in 2006. Work's work has focused on defense strategy; proposals to restructure the Department of Defense; and maritime affairs.

During the presidential transition of Barack Obama, Work was a member of the Department of Defense Transition Team, focusing on the transition at the United States Department of the Navy. President Barack Obama nominated Work as Under Secretary of the Navy and Work was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 19, 2009.

Work has criticized former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for assuming that the United States would always have an advantage in guided weapons and, as such, be able to quickly defeat any foe.^[4]

In July 2011, Work called into question the Navy's plans for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, asking if the numbers or types could be reduced in favor of more unmanned systems.^[5]

In 2012, after submitting a budget request that reduced submarine construction, Work said that only a submarine could operate in the Taiwan Strait during a conflict with China.^[6][7]

On March 21, 2013, Robert Work was presented with the Navy Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Department of the Navy's highest award for civilians.

In 2013, the Center for a New American Security announced that Work would be their new CEO as of April 22, 2013.^[8][9]

On February 7, 2014, President Obama nominated Work to become Deputy Secretary of Defense.^[10][11]

References

1. https://www.congress.gov/113/chrg/shrg93919/CHRG-113shrg93919.pdf
2. "Nominations Before the Senate Armed Service Committee, First Session, 111th Congress".
3. This story was written Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Shannon Burns; Defense Media Activity-Navy. "Navy Says Farewell to Under Secretary".
4. "Budget Cuts and New Ways of Doing Business Await the Marine Corps - Blog".
5. Sweetman, Bill. "New Threat To F-35 Joint Strike Fighter." Aviation Week, September 1, 2011.
6. Parsons, Dan. "Navy Leaders Frustrated by Littoral Combat Ship Naysayers." National Defense Magazine, April 19, 2012.
7. Shapiro, Michael Welles. "Bill to keep steady funding of Virginia-class subs advances." Daily Press, 26 April 2012.
8. "Navy Undersecretary Robert Work to step down."
9. "Robert Work To Head Defense, Security Think Tank". Executive Gov.
10. McLeary, Paul (7 February 2014). "Senate Committee Confirms Work's Nomination for Pentagon No. 2 Spot". defensenews.com. Gannett Government Media. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
11. Garamone, Jim (February 7, 2014). "Obama Nominates Work as Next Deputy Defense Secretary". www.defense.gov. American Forces Press Service. Retrieved February 8, 2014.

External links

• Defense.gov biography for Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work
• Faculty Profile at the Elliott School of International Affairs
• CNAS bio