The Honorable Robert O. Work
32nd Deputy Secretary of Defense
Chair, Board of Directors
Secretary Work is currently the Distinguished Senior Fellow for Defense and National Security at the Center for a New American Security, Senior Counselor at Telemus Group, LLC, Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at MITRE Corporation.
Confirmed as the 32nd Deputy Secretary of Defense on April 30, 2014, Bob Work served for three Defense Secretaries in both Democrat and Republican administrations. In that role he was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day business of the Pentagon and developing the Department’s defense program. He did significant work with leaders in the Department and the intelligence community to develop the “Third Offset Strategy,” which aimed to restore U.S. conventional overmatch over its strategic rivals and adversaries.
He had previously served as Undersecretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2013.
In 2002, he joined the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), first as the Senior Fellow for Maritime Affairs, and later as the Vice President for Strategic Studies. In these positions, he focused on defense strategy and programs, revolutions in war, Department of Defense transformation, and maritime affairs.
A distinguished graduate of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Course at the University of Illinois, Bob Work was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in August 1974. During his 27-year military career, he held a wide range of command, leadership, and management positions.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Illinois; a Master of Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California; a Master of Science in Space System Operations from the Naval Postgraduate School; and a Master of International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).