secretary of defense

Cultural  

1. The civilian head of the United States Department of Defense and a member of the cabinet, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The secretary of defense works with civilian and military advisers to formulate American military policies and make foreign policy recommendations to the president.

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Example Sentences

And an executive order signed by President Barack Obama in 2012 delegated this authority to the secretary of defense.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026

“This war was a threshold-crossing event in so many different ways,” said Dana Stroul, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

Her former colleague Pete Hegseth, now secretary of defense, sold more than 300,000 copies of his last two books, both of which were military grievance memoirs.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026

On Veep, he played a comical version of the US secretary of defense, who runs for office against the main character, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025

President John Kennedy, who had appointed him secretary of defense in 1961, called McNamara the smartest man he’d ever met.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin