Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Defense
Department of Defense Order Establishes Succession for Secretary
What it does
Department of Defense officials must follow the listed order to act as Secretary when the Secretary is unable to serve.
Real-world impact
- Specifies who will perform the Secretary's duties if the Secretary cannot serve.
- Prevents officials currently serving in acting roles from becoming Acting Secretary.
- Requires appointees be Senate-confirmed and otherwise eligible under vacancies law.
Topics
Summary
This order establishes who will fill in as Secretary of Defense if the Secretary dies, resigns, or cannot carry out duties. It lists a ranked sequence of Department of Defense officials—beginning with the Deputy Secretary, then the military department secretaries, under secretaries, and other senior officials—who will serve as Acting Secretary in that order.
The order also excludes officials already serving in acting roles, requires appointees to be Senate-confirmed and eligible under the vacancies law, allows the President to depart from the list, and revokes a prior succession order.
Questions, answered
Ask questions about this executive order and its implications. Try:
- “What agencies are affected by this order?”
- “How does this order change existing policy?”
- “What are the practical implications of this order?”