President Donald Trump named Robert Salesses as acting secretary of defense pending the confirmation of Pete Hegseth for the position. Salesses assumed the functions and duties of the office at 12:01 p.m., Jan. 20, 2025. Photo by DOD

Pentagon, (Jan. 21, 2025): President Donald Trump named Robert Salesses as acting secretary of defense pending the confirmation of Pete Hegseth for the position. Salesses assumed the functions and duties of the office at 12:01 p.m. yesterday.

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 previously served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense integration and defense support of civil authorities.

He is a senior executive service member who has been serving as the deputy director of Washington Headquarters Service. According to his bio, 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.

In addition to Salesses, the White House announced that Mark Averill will 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.

All of the acting individuals were sworn in yesterday.

By Jim Garamone, DOD News

Published with permission of DOD