The Pentagon yesterday said William Lynn plans to step down as deputy secretary of Defense and return to private life once a successor is in place this fall.
The third-longest serving deputy secretary in the post-Cold War era, Lynn met with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta late last week to discuss his plans, a statement yesterday from the Pentagon said.
“Bill Lynn has provided outstanding advice and counsel to this department and to the nation over the course of his long career,” said Panetta. “I will rely on his experience and expertise during this transition period. His service will be greatly missed.”
Lynn said, “It has been a rare privilege to serve in the Department of Defense during such a challenging time. And it has been an honor to serve alongside an outstanding group of civilian and military members who every day demonstrate the value to this nation of their unwavering commitment and dedicated service.”
During his tenure, the nation’s 30th deputy secretary of defense helped the department navigate new strategic and fiscal realities, while supporting efforts in two wars.
Lynn helped create the department’s first ever operational-energy strategy. In Late April he addressed defense budget cuts saying energy is a key budget item, with the Pentagon accounting for 80 percent of the federal government’s energy use. “Supply is limited, cost is increasing and with the changing nature of war, our current energy technology is not optimized for the battlefield of today or tomorrow.”
Also, he helped create a new space policy and a landmark cyber strategy including the creation of the U.S. Cyber Command, the DoD statement said.
Lynn also oversaw the department’s budget process, relations with the defense industry, and acquisition process, including the department’s successful bid for a new refueling tanker for the Air Force.
Improving the care and treatment of wounded warriors was also a signature issue for Lynn, who implemented a new system of disability evaluation and oversaw the department’s development of an integrated electronic health record.
Lynn was a former Raytheon [RTN] lobbyist and former Pentagon comptroller. Confirmation hearings in early 2009 saw Lynn dogged by questions about his lobbying, and the White House granted him a waiver to allow him to bypass new ethics rules (Defense Daily, Feb. 9, 2009).
Lynn’s nearly two-decade career in government service saw him serve as a senior adviser to several secretaries of defense and as a senior national security adviser to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.).
The president must nominate Lynn’s successor, who must then be endorsed by the Senate Armed Services Committee and approved by a vote in the full Senate.