Mr. Holthe was appointed to the Senior Executive Service (SES) in April 2020 and is currently Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology (ASD(S&T)).  In this role, he directs an organization responsible for the policy, oversight, and advocacy for the Department of Defense (DoD) research enterprise, including the science and technology (S&T) workforce and laboratory infrastructure, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, University-Affiliated Research Centers, and the balance between promotion and protection of defense research.  The Office of the ASD(S&T) oversees a broad portfolio of enterprise programs, including intra- and extramural basic research, Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer, DoD Manufacturing Technology, and the nine Manufacturing Innovation Institutes.  The ASD(S&T) also maintains strategy, supervision, and oversight of S&T on behalf of DoD, with specific leadership for emerging areas such as advanced materials, biotechnology, future generation wireless, quantum science, human performance, positioning navigation and timing, and joint hypersonics technology.  Mr. Holthe also serves as the DoD senior expert on Nuclear Delivery System modernization.

Most recently, Mr. Holthe served as the Principal Deputy ASD(S&T), where he was a top advisor to the DoD S&T portfolio.  Prior to this role, Mr. Holthe served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Enabling Technology in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies (ASD(CT)).  In this position, he served as a senior expert, consultant, manager, and principal advisor to the ASD(CT) and the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)) on Nuclear Modernization and the critical technology areas of Advanced Computing and Software, Directed Energy, Human Machine Interface, Hypersonics, Integrated Network Systems-of-Systems, Integrated Sensing and Cyber, Microelectronics, Renewable Energy Generation and Storage, Space Technology, and Trusted Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy.

Previously, Mr. Holthe served as the Office of the USD(R&E) (OUSD(R&E)) Director for Emerging Technologies and Platforms and Weapons Technologies. In this role, he served as a top advisor to DoD in future platform and weapon technology areas, including munitions, energetic materials and energetic material systems, human systems, quantum science, biotechnology, future generation wireless, and advanced materials, and both manned and unmanned system technologies across all domains.

Prior to joining OUSD(R&E), Mr. Holthe served as the Director for Lethality Portfolio in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research and Technology).  In this role, Mr. Holthe was responsible for strategy, supervision, and oversight of all long-range precision fires and air and missile defense Army S&T efforts, including energetics, propulsion, and warheads for increased range and decisive effects, guidance and seekers for improved precision in GPS denied or degraded environments, both Kinetic and Directed Energy Weapons for affordable air defense, and soldier weapon technologies to enable overmatch by Army forces against any enemy.  In 2016, Mr. Holthe was assigned as the Acting Tier I SES Director for Technology and Deputy to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research and Technology), during which he was responsible for development, evaluation, and oversight for the Army's 6.1 (Basic Research), 6.2 (Applied Research), 6.3 (Advanced Technology Development), 6.4 (Technology Maturation Initiative), and 6.7 (Manufacturing Technology) Budget Activities of the Army's Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) program.

Mr. Holthe holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sport Science with an emphasis in Sports Medicine from Saint Olaf College and a Master of Science in Exercise Science (Biomechanics) from Iowa State University.  Mr. Holthe completed the Advanced Acquisition Program at the Naval Postgraduate School in 2003.  He graduated from the Competitive Development Group/Army Acquisition Fellowship Program in 2014.  During his fellowship, he served as Assistant Product Manager and Lead Systems Integrator at Program Executive Office Soldier, the Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center Liaison Officer in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research and Technology), and a Budget Analyst for Missile Procurement and RDT&E in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller)/Army Budget Office.

Mr. Holthe became a member of the Army Acquisition Corps in 2006 and is a 2018 graduate of the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Executive Institute Leadership for a Democratic Society program.  Mr. Holthe has been awarded an Achievement Medal for Civilian Service, two Commander’s Awards for Civilian Service, an Army Superior Unit Award, and the Order of Saint Maurice – Civis Level.