{"id":76579,"date":"2019-01-02T18:04:21","date_gmt":"2019-01-02T18:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/01\/02\/pentagon-comptroller-to-serve-as-acting-deputy-secretary\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:42:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:42:41","slug":"pentagon-comptroller-to-serve-as-acting-deputy-secretary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/01\/02\/pentagon-comptroller-to-serve-as-acting-deputy-secretary\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon comptroller to serve as acting deputy defense secretary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 With Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan<\/a> now serving as the acting secretary of defense<\/a>, the Pentagon\u2019s top financial official will take over as the acting deputy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Norquist<\/a>, who has served as Pentagon comptroller since May 2017, has been tapped to help handle the responsibilities Shanahan is leaving behind, a defense official told reporters Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDavid Norquist has had insight into virtually every tenet of this department. I have the greatest confidence in his abilities to lead a phenomenally talented team while performing the duties as Deputy Secretary of Defense,\u201d Shanahan said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norquist and Shanahan appear to have a good working relationship, with the comptroller frequently appearing alongside the then-deputy during public appearances in the last few months. The two have worked closely on the fiscal 2020 budget submission, which Shanahan has repeatedly pledged will be a \u201cmasterpiece\u201d that puts the National Defense Strategy into motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\t