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Michael Duffey Assumes Role as New Acquisition, Sustainment Chief

Michael P. Duffey was sworn in today as undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment following Senate confirmation, putting him in charge of the Defense Department's vast procurement, sustainment and industrial base enterprise. 

A man in a suit takes an oath, raising his right hand, as another man in a suit administers the oath. They stand in front of U.S. and presidential flags. A woman, a young girl in a dress, and a young boy in a suit watch the indoor ceremony.
Oath of Office
Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg administers the oath of office to Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey at the Pentagon, June 5, 2025.
Credit: Kashif Basharat, DOD
VIRIN: 250605-D-D0234-1004

After Duffey received Senate confirmation on June 3, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg administered the oath of office during a brief Pentagon ceremony. 

He outlined his priorities during a March 27, 2025, Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

"America's ability to protect our interests requires a military force structure with the capability and capacity to deter and, if necessary, to defeat our adversaries," said Duffey. 

That means modernizing how the department integrates "requirements, budgeting and acquisition processes, aligning incentives to deliver results." 

Duffey said future wars may hinge as much on industrial production as battlefield performance. 

"Future conflicts will be won on the factory floor as much as the field of battle," he said, warning that the side able to replace lost equipment fastest will hold the upper hand. 

He said the United States must "outpace our adversaries in our ability to supply our military with decisive advantage while maintaining a focus on building an industrial base capacity to replenish those forces as needed." 

Among his first tasks, Duffey plans to better align acquisition outcomes with operational needs, expand rapid-fielding pathways for emerging technologies and apply data-driven metrics to keep programs on budget and schedule. 

Prior to his appointment, he served as deputy chief of staff to the defense secretary. In the past two decades, he has served in several national security roles, including chief of staff to the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, multiple positions in the former Office of the Undersecretary of Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, as well as program associate director for national security at the Office of Management and Budget. 

A native of Wisconsin, Duffey is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. 

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