Navy Secretary Richard Spencer early this week swore in two top service officials: Thomas Modly as Under Secretary of the Navy and James Geurts as Assistant Secretary for Research, Development, and Acquisition (RDA).

In a statement posted to his Facebook [FB] account early Monday, Secretary Richard Spencer said he was excited to have Modly join his team.

Thomas B. Modly was sworn in as under secretary of the Navy on Dec. 4, 2017. Photo: (U.S. Navy)
Thomas B. Modly was sworn in as under secretary of the Navy on Dec. 4, 2017. Photo: (U.S. Navy)

“Tom and I share the same priorities and with him now on board we will continue to ensure the Navy and Marine Corps team becomes stronger, more efficient, better equipped and better trained.”

The role will have Modly act as the department’s chief management officer and perform as directed by the Secretary of the Navy.

In his confirmation hearing, Modly talked about how the Navy is beset by a “Perfect Storm” of issues that threaten to limit its ability to perform critical missions and face more capable adversaries while being asked to do more with limited forces and funds (Defense Daily, Nov. 7).

Modly previously served as managing director of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ [PWC] global government and public services business, deputy undersecretary for financial management at DoD, and executive director of the Defense Business Board.

At his confirmation hearing Modly assured the Senate Armed Services Committee that he would ensure the Navy conducts an audit, even if it does not fully pass the audit.

He also favored block buys for items like Ford-class carriers if it is significantly less expensive to do that.

Separately, Spencer welcomed Geurts, whose nickname is “Hondo,” after swearing him in on Tuesday.

“As a career leader in the acquisition field, Hondo has proven he is the right person to usher in the reform and innovation needed in the Department of the Navy,” Spencer said in a Facebook post.

“I have a long-held belief that teams which are empowered, have a close connection to their operational customer, ‎and are all focused on the mission can accomplish amazing things,” Geurts said in a statement.

“I aim to set those conditions and similarly enable those acquisition teams so that they can rapidly and effectively equip and support the Sailors and Marines operating around the globe in defense of our Nation,” he added.

The RDA position serves as the Navy’s acquisition executive, providing weapon systems and platforms to Navy and Marine Corps operators.

Geurts previously served in a similar post for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

During his confirmation hearing, Geurts said he would look at how the Navy uses a multiyear structure and if it provides enough flexibility to add ships to the fleet at a faster rate than decades as part of the 355-ship goal.