Earlier this month, the United States Senate confirmed Dr. William A. LaPlante to be Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. The position had been the most senior vacancy in the Pentagon. LaPlante, who was confirmed on April 7 by voice vote, formerly served as a top acquisition executive for the United States Air Force from 2014-2017. And on April 15, LaPlante. was sworn in as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD(A&S)).
He will fill the position that was previously held by Ellen M. Lord, who had left the post with the arrival of the Biden Administration in January 2021. Ms. Lord was actually the first to serve in the position, as it was only formally created on February 1, 2018.
LaPlante was the second individual named by President Biden to the position. The president’s first pick for the USD/A&S position, Michael Brown, withdrew his nomination due to allegations that he circumvented hiring regulations at the Defense Innovation Unit.
The USD(A&S)
The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or USD(A&S), is the Principal Staff Assistant (PSA) and also serves as an advisor to the Secretary of Defense for all matters relating to acquisition and sustainment within the Department of Defense (DoD).
As with other under secretaries within the DoD, it is a position that is filled by a civilian via presidential appointment, and with the consent of the United States Senate to serve at the pleasure of the president.
The mission of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) is “Enable the Delivery and Sustainment of Secure and Resilient Capabilities to the Warfighter and International Partners Quickly and Cost Effectively.”
The Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary manages several Under Secretaries, each of whom in turn then manage several Assistant Secretaries of Defense. There is no fixed term for the OUSD(A&S), who is fifth in SecDef succession. The position was created as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17).
Meet William LaPlante
President Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. LaPlante to the post on November 30, 2021. LaPlante was described by the White House as having nearly four decades of experience in acquisition, technology, sustainment and the defense industrial base.
Most recently, LaPlante has served as president and chief executive officer of Draper Laboratory, where he has focused on aligning Draper’s work with emerging technology and the global competitive innovation landscape.
Prior to joining Draper, Dr. LaPlante was senior vice president for the MITRE Corporation’s National Sector, where he oversaw the operation of federally funded research and development centers for the DoD and the Department of Commerce. At MITRE, he lead the development of advanced command and control, and system of system concepts, as well as cyber systems and supply chain resiliency approaches.
LaPlante had previously served in the Obama-Biden Administration as the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics from 2014–2017. In that position, he aligned the service’s $43billion acquisition enterprise budget with the Air Force vision and strategy.
Past Oversight Experience
The incoming USD(A&S) is also a present and past member of several scientific boards and commissions focused on bettering national security, including serving as a commissioner on the congressionally mandated Section 809 Panel, which performed a comprehensive review of Department of Defense acquisition policies, and provided efficiency and improvement recommendations for the Congress.
LaPlante earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from the University of Illinois, and a master’s degree in applied physics from Johns Hopkins University. He earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Catholic University of America.
Supporter of Hypersonic Research
During his confirmation hearing last month, LaPlante emphasized his support for the advanced military technologies including quantum sensing, artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles, and directed energy weapons. LaPlante has been a vocal supporter of hypersonic technology and addressed the DoD’s abandoning its efforts to develop a hypersonic glide vehicle after two failed tests in 2010 and 2011.
“A failed test is one where you don’t learn,” LaPlante told the committee.
“The two tests, they both failed, and the United States stopped hypersonic glide vehicle work,” LaPlante noted. “China and Russia just kept going. … It’s how you learn.”
LaPlante also stated that the Pentagon’s acquisition system must be focused on delivering new capabilities to meet the evolving threat from China and other potential adversaries. Senators from both parties praised the nominee during his conformation hearing on April 7.
