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

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secretary of defense

Their sense of responsibility is that they take an oath, not to a president, not to a secretary of defense, but to the Constitution.

From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2026

For the past few months, the Atlantic’s Clint Smith has been trying to understand what it’s like for Black service members to report to a secretary of defense like Pete Hegseth.

From Slate ● Jun. 17, 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

China’s capabilities are “an order of magnitude more challenging” than Iran’s, said Michael Horowitz, who served as U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Biden administration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026

The president had just finished his lunchtime swim when the secretary of defense called with the U-2 news.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin