The deputy secretary of defense is in charge of the Defense Department’s day-to-day business. The primary responsibility is managing the defense budget and executing the defense secretary’s priorities.
Check out photos of Deputy Secretary Shanahan as he takes care of business and keeps the department running.
Patrick M. Shanahan works hard to get the most out of every defense dollar entrusted to the department. He became the 33rd deputy defense secretary on July 19, 2017, and focuses on reforming how we do business while remaining the most lethal force in the world. The Washington state native holds two advanced degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and spent more than 30 years at Boeing, where he led programs for commercial planes, missile defense systems and rotorcraft systems.