The Department of Defense (DoD) named Gregory Kausner as under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment on August 2, making him the DoD’s top acquisition official.
Previously, Kausner served as deputy undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment since January of this year. Paul Cramer will now be stepping into the acting deputy role.
Michael Brown was originally nominated for the top acquisition job, but withdrew his nomination in July, citing an ongoing investigation by the DoD Office of Inspector General as the reason for his withdrawal.
In his new role, Kausner will be in charge of “all matters pertaining to acquisition; contract administration; logistics and materiel readiness; installations and environment; operational energy; chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons; the acquisition workforce; and the defense industrial base,” according to a DoD press release.
Prior to his role as deputy undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, Kausner served as deputy director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency; senior advisor to the under secretary of state for arms control and international security; and deputy assistant secretary of state for regional security and security assistance.
