Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg has initiated a significant effort aimed at modernizing the Department of Defense's organization and operations. As Eric Pahon, spokesman for the Deputy Secretary of Defense, articulated, “Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg's directive launches one of the most ambitious efforts in decades to modernize how the Department is organized and operates. This is about more than efficiency — it's about designing a workforce and structure that move at the speed of today's challenges."
The initiative focuses on evaluating the Department to ensure that roles, offices, and management layers are aligned with current mission demands. Pahon further explained, "By streamlining structures and focusing roles where they have the greatest impact, we are empowering our civilian professionals to contribute even more directly to the Department's core mission."
The goal is to develop an agile and responsive Department, enhancing its capability to deliver results for the warfighter while maintaining national security priorities. The emphasis is on speed, precision, and operational impact, with a clear structural alignment to support these objectives. The initiative also seeks to embody the vision that "credible deterrence starts with credible structures," as noted by the Secretary of Defense.
This organizational review forms a part of a broader strategy to adapt to contemporary challenges and improve the Department's operational efficacy.
