Today, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr., announced that he will step down from his position in early September.
During the two years Under Secretary Cisneros served in his role, he was a steadfast and faithful servant in the Department's mission to take care of our people. His commitment to the "people first" approach helped the Department improve the quality of life of our Service members and their families. In addition, his steadfast commitment to decreasing the prevalence of harmful behavior ensured the Department remains on track in the implementation of the approved recommendations from the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military as well as the Independent Review Commission on Suicide Prevention. Under his leadership, the P&R team established policies to ensure access to reproductive health care and contraceptives, promoted the safety, health, and well-being of the force during the COVID-19 pandemic, and advanced initiatives to integrate strategic readiness across the Department to better assess operational decision impacts on force readiness.
I am grateful for Mr. Cisneros' dedication to public service, mission readiness, and the Service members, their families and our DoD civilians who sacrifice for this nation.