WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has named Robert Salesses as Acting Secretary of Defense pending the confirmation of Pete Hegseth for the post.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has sent Hegseth's nomination to the full Senate, which is expected to act on the nomination later this week.
Salesses is a retired Marine Corps officer and a member of the senior executive service. He has previously served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense integration and defense support of civil authorities.
He has been serving as the deputy director of Washington Headquarters Service. Salesses managed a portfolio of complex and integrated operational services to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Military Departments, Defense Agencies, Congress and the Executive Office of the President.
Salesses has served as a U.S. Marine Corps officer, where he was involved in the planning and execution of several military contingencies and crisis responses. His career culminated in an assignment to the Joint Chief of Staff where he developed response options for global contingency missions. Salesses was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service during the liberation of Kuwait.
In addition to Salesses, the White House named Mark Averill to serve as acting secretary of the Army, Terence Emmert as acting secretary of the Navy and Gary Ashworth as acting secretary of the Air Force. Averill is the head of the Army's Office of the Administrative Assistant. Emmert served as DOD's principal deputy chief technology officer for mission capabilities. Ashworth served as DOD's acting assistant secretary of defense for acquisition.
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