| Post: | Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment |
| Flag: | Flag of an U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense.svg |
| Flagsize: | 120 |
| Flagcaption: | Flag of an Assistant Secretary of Defense |
| Insignia: | Emblem of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment.png |
| Insigniasize: | 100 |
| Insigniacaption: | Seal of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment |
| Department: | Office of the Secretary of Defense |
| Reports To: | Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment |
| Incumbent: | Christopher Lowman |
| Incumbentsince: | 10 June 2022 |
| Style: | The Honorable (formal address in writing) |
| Appointer: | The President with the advice and consent of the Senate |
| Termlength: | No fixed term |
| Formation: | 12 October 2018 |
| Deputy: | 3 deputy assistant secretaries |
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment (ASD (Sustainment)), formerly known as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness (ASD(L&MR)), is one of three assistant secretaries reporting to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. Formerly the position was an adviser to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Deputy Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of Defense on logistics and materiel readiness issues within the Department of Defense (DoD), including programs related to logistics, materiel readiness, maintenance, strategic mobility, and sustainment support. As the principal logistics official within the senior management of the DoD, the ASD(Sustainment) exercises authority, direction and control over the director of the Defense Logistics Agency. Like all other Assistant Secretaries of Defense, the ASD(Sustainment) is considered a part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
This position can trace its lineage partially back to the National Security Act of 1947, which established a Munitions Board to oversee logistics and supply within the nascent Defense Department. Through the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford administrations, oversight of logistics and materiel readiness was merged with oversight of installations and properties. In 1977, the acquisition functions of this office were transferred to the Director of Defense Research and Engineering, and responsibilities for logistics were merged with manpower and reserve affairs throughout the Carter and early Reagan administrations.
For a year in the middle of the Reagan administration, responsibilities for logistics and materiel support were split between two ASDs after the creation of a new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Development and Support, established by Defense Directive 5129.4 (signed 25 November 1984). However, this office was abolished after Defense Directive 5128.1 (signed in November 1985) merged logistics responsibilities into a single office, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Logistics. This office was then replaced by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Production and Logistics in April 1987, and phased out completely in 1993 after the reorganization of the office of the USD (AT&L). From 1993 until 2000, there was no principal staff assistant to the USD (AT&L) responsible for oversight of logistics and materiel readiness.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, (P.L. 106-65, signed 5 October 1999) created the new position of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness, or DUSD (L&MR). The DUSD (L&MR) was meant to serve as a second DUSD, after the Principal DUSD, reporting to the USD (AT&L). According to an official DoD history, the intent of Congress in establishing the DUSD (L&MR) was to emphasize the importance of these functions.[1]
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (P.L. 111-84, signed 28 October 2009) redesignated this position as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness, or ASD(L&MR), as part of an overall effort to limit the number of DUSD positions to five.[2] However, this post remained vacant throughout the Obama administration, with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (PDASD) Alan F. Estevez serving as the highest-ranking official in this office.[3]
In February 2018, the Logistics and Materiel Readiness office was combined into a new office, headed by the Assistant Secretary for Sustainment.[4]
As part of a reorganization on 12 October 2018, the ASD(L&MR) was combined with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment (ASD(EI&E)) into a new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment.[5] The ASD(EI&E) position was reestablished on February 10, 2022.[6]
The table below includes both the various titles of this post over time, as well as all the holders of those offices.
| Name | Tenure | Secretary(ies) served under | President(s) served under | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman, Munitions Board | ||||
| 30 September 1947 – 20 September 1948 | Harry Truman | |||
| 21 September 1948 – 30 June 1949 | James V. Forrestal Louis A. Johnson | |||
| Hubert E. Howard | 25 November 1949 – 18 September 1950 | Louis A. Johnson | ||
| John D. Small | 16 November 1950 – 20 January 1953 | George C. Marshall Robert A. Lovett | ||
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (Supply and Logistics) | ||||
| Charles S. Thomas | 5 August 1953 – 2 May 1954 | Dwight Eisenhower | ||
| 3 May 1954 – 27 June 1956 | ||||
| E. Perkins McGuire | 28 December 1956 – 20 January 1961 | Charles Erwin Wilson Neil H. McElroy Thomas S. Gates | ||
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (Installations and Logistics) | ||||
| Thomas D. Morris | 29 January 1961 – 11 December 1964 | John F. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson | ||
| Paul R. Ignatius | 23 December 1964 – 31 August 1967 | Lyndon Johnson | ||
| Thomas D. Morris | 1 September 1967 – 1 February 1969 | Lyndon Johnson Richard Nixon | ||
| 1 February 1969 – 1 February 1973 | Melvin R. Laird | Richard Nixon | ||
| 21 June 1973 – 31 March 1975 | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford | |||
| John J. Bennett (acting) | 1 April 1975 – 9 February 1976 | Gerald Ford | ||
| 10 February 1976 – 19 January 1977 | Donald H. Rumsfeld | |||
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower, Reserve Affairs, and Logistics) | ||||
| 11 May 1977 – 31 October 1978 | Jimmy Carter | |||
| 17 June 1979 – 20 January 1981 | ||||
| 4 May 1981 – 12 January 1984 | Ronald Reagan | |||
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower, Installations, and Logistics) | ||||
| 12 January 1984 – 5 July 1985 | Caspar W. Weinberger | Ronald Reagan | ||
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (Development and Support) | ||||
| James P. Wade | 6 August 1984 – 5 July 1985 | Caspar W. Weinberger | Ronald Reagan | |
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition and Logistics) | ||||
| James P. Wade | 5 July 1985 – 3 November 1986 | Caspar W. Weinberger | Ronald Reagan | |
| Robert B. Costello | 13 March 1987 – 15 April 1987 | |||
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (Production and Logistics) | ||||
| Robert B. Costello | 15 April 1987 – 17 December 1987 | Ronald Reagan | ||
| Jack Katzen | 28 March 1988 – 8 January 1990 | Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush | ||
| 5 March 1990 – 11 December 1992 | George H. W. Bush | |||
| No position | ||||
| Position vacant from 1993 to 2000 | ||||
| Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Logistics and Materiel Readiness) | ||||
| Roger W. Kallock | 15 September 2000 – 19 January 2001 | Bill Clinton | ||
| Diane Morales | 17 July 2001 – 2 January 2004 | George W. Bush | ||
| Bradley M. Berkson (acting) | 2 January 2004[7] – 8 August 2005 | |||
| Phillip J. "Jack" Bell | 8 August 2005[8] – 20 January 2009 | Donald H. Rumsfeld Robert M. Gates | ||
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (Logistics and Materiel Readiness) | ||||
| Position vacant from 20 January 2009 to 8 August 2011 | ||||
| Alan Estevez | 8 August 2011 – 30 October 2013 | Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel | Barack Obama | |
| David J. Berteau | 16 December 2014 – 25 March 2016 | Chuck Hagel, Ashton B. Carter | ||
| Position vacant from 26 March 2016 to 30 November 2017 | ||||
| Robert H. McMahon | 30 November 2017 – 11 October 2018 | James Mattis | Donald Trump | |
| Name | Tenure | Secretary(ies) served under | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert H. McMahon | 12 October 2018 – 22 November 2019 | Jim Mattis Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Peter Potochney (acting) | 22 November 2019 – 26 March 2020 | Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Jordan Gillis | 26 March 2020 – 20 January 2021 | Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Steven J. Morani (acting) | 20 January 2021 – 10 June 2022 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Christopher Lowman | 10 June 2022 – present | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |