Name all Secretaries of Defense

Serving as acting only is indicated by (Acting) before the dates. The Secretary is second in command in the Military after the President who serves as commander in chief. Serves a similar role as a defense minister in other countries.
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Auskooper
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Last updated: November 15, 2025
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First submittedNovember 15, 2025
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Average score32.4%
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Time Served
President
Home State
Secretary
September 17, 1947 - March 28, 1949
Harry Truman
New York
James Forrestal
March 28, 1949 - September 19, 1950
Harry Truman
West Virginia
Louis A. Johnson
September 21, 1950 - September 12, 1951
Harry Truman
Pennsylvania
George C. Marshall
September 17, 1951 - January 20, 1953
Harry Truman
New York
Robert A. Lovett
January 28, 1953 - October 8, 1957
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Michigan
Charles Erwin Wilson
October 9, 1957 - December 1, 1959
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ohio
Neil H. McElroy
December 2, 1959 - January 20, 1961
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Pennsylvania
Thomas S. Gates Jr.
January 21, 1961 - February 29, 1968
John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson
Michigan
Robert McNamara
March 1, 1968 - January 20, 1969
Lyndon B. Johnson
Maryland
Clark Clifford
January 22, 1969 - January 29, 1973
Richard Nixon
Wisconsin
Melvin Laird
January 30, 1973 - May 24, 1973
Richard Nixon
Massachusetts
Elliot Richardson
(Acting) May 24, 1973 - July 2, 1973
Richard Nixon
Texas
Bill Clements
July 2, 1973 - November 19, 1975
Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford
Virginia
James R. Schlesinger
November 20, 1975 - January 20, 1977
Gerald Ford
Illinois
Donald Rumsfeld
January 20, 1977 - January 20, 1981
Jimmy Carter
California
Harold Broen
January 21, 1981 - November 23, 1987
Ronald Reagan
California
Caspar Weinberger
November 23, 1987 - January 20, 1989
Ronald Reagan
Virginia
Frank Carlucci
(Acting) January 20, 1989 - March 21, 1989
George H.W. Bush
Ohio
William Howard Taft IV
March 21, 1989 - January 20, 1993
George H.W. Bush
Wyoming
Dick Cheney
January 20, 1993 - February 3, 1994
Bill Clinton
Wisconsin
Les Aspin
February 3, 1994 - January 24, 1997
Bill Clinton
Pennsylvania
William Perry
January 24, 1997 - January 20, 2001
Bill Clinton
Maine
William Cohen
January 20, 2001 - December 18, 2006
George W. Bush
Illinois
Donald Rumsfeld
December 18, 2006 - June 30, 2011
George W. Bush, Barack Obama
Texas
Robert Gates
July 1, 2011 - February 26, 2013
Barack Obama
California
Leon Panetta
February 27, 2013 - February 17, 2015
Barack Obama
Nebraska
Chuck Hagel
February 17, 2015 - January 20, 2017
Barack Obama
Massachusetts
Ash Carter
January 20, 2017 - January 1, 2019
Donald Trump
Washington
Jim Mantis
(acting)January 1, 2019 - June 23, 2019
Donald Trump
Washington
Patrick M. Shanahan
(Acting) June 24, 2019 - July 15, 2019
Donald Trump
Virginia
Mark Esper
(Acting) July 15, 2019 - July 23, 2019
Donald Trump
Wyoming
Richard V. Spencer
July 23, 2019 -November 9, 2020
Donald Trump
Virginia
Mark Esper
(Acting) November 9, 2020 - January 20, 2021
Donald Trump
Iowa
Christopher C. Miller
(Acting) January 20, 2021 - January 22, 2021
Joe Biden
Massachusetts
David Norquist
January 22, 2021 - January 20, 2025
Joe Biden
Georgia
Lloyd Austin III
January 20, 2025 - January 25, 2025
Donald Trump
Rhode Island
Robert G. Salesses
January 25, 2025 - Present
Donald Trump
Minnesota
Pete Hegseth
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