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secretary of defense

Cultural

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.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

According to Fidell, the secretary of defense has the authority to demote only flag officers—that is, generals and admirals.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 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

And from politics: Rice, the former secretary of state; Robert Gates, the former secretary of defense; and Paul Ryan, the former speaker of the House of Representatives.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

That includes the president and secretary of defense, even though they are at the pinnacle of the chain of command.

From Salon • Dec. 6, 2025

He called in his new secretary of defense, Clark Clifford, recently appointed to replace Robert McNamara.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023