{{Short description|American defense policy advisor and businessman}} {{Use American English|date=April 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Eric D. Chewning | image = Eric D. Chewning (2).jpg | term_start = January 2019 | term_end = January 2020 | president = Donald Trump | predecessor = Kevin Sweeney | successor = Jen Stewart | office = Chief of Staff to the United States Secretary of Defense | office1 = Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy | president1 = Donald Trump | term_start1 = October 2017 | term_end1 = January 2019 | predecessor1 = | successor1 = Jennifer Santos | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | party = Republican | education = University of Chicago (BA) (MA)<br>University of Virginia (MBA) }}

'''Eric Chewning''' is an American businessman, Army veteran, and former senior military official. As of 2025, he is executive vice president of strategy and development for HII, America’s largest shipbuilder.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/1726604/statement-by-acting-chief-spokesperson-charles-e-summers-on-appointment-of-eric/|title=Statement by Acting Chief Spokesperson Charles E. Summers on Appointme|website=U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=HII TAPS ERIC CHEWNING AS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGY & DEVELOPMENT |url=https://hii.com/news/10715/ |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=HII |language=en-US |archive-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228233721/https://hii.com/news/10715/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Katz |first=Justin |date=2023-01-30 |title=HII taps Chewning, former DoD chief of staff, as new exec for strategy, development |url=https://breakingdefense.sites.breakingmedia.com/2023/01/hii-taps-chewning-former-dod-chief-of-staff-as-new-exec-for-strategy-development/ |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=Breaking Defense |language=en-US }}{{Dead link|date=May 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>

==Military service== As highlighted in Fred Kaplan’s book, ''The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War'', Chewning left a career as a Wall Street investment banker to join in the U.S. Army after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.<ref>The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War, Fred Kaplan, pp. 254 </ref> Upon completing Officer Candidate School and training as a military intelligence officer, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment in the 2nd Brigade of the U.S. Army’s First Cavalry Division. He deployed to Iraq in 2004 as the unit’s tactical intelligence officer, and helped to pioneer counterinsurgency tactics for conventional U.S. Army units.<ref>Pp. 254</ref>

Upon returning to the U.S., Chewning and Douglas Ollivant co-wrote an influential article in ''Military Review'', entitled "Producing Victory: Rethinking Conventional Forces in Counterinsurgency Operations";<ref>Pp. 255</ref><ref>Military Review Writing Contest Winners, [4], 2005-2006</ref> and a 2007 follow-on article, "Producing Victory: a 2007 postscript for implementation."<ref>Military Review: Postscript, "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2008-08-18., March–April 2007 </ref> The articles argued that U.S. forces should abandon sprawling forward operating bases and move into Iraqi communities. The premise of their argument was that counterinsurgency requires military units to simultaneous execute security operations, train local security forces, promote economic development, and foster political institutions. Ollivant and Chewning reasoned that conventional military units best operate in such an environment when working with indigenous security forces within the target population.<ref>Military Review, [5], July/August, 2006.</ref>

The essays, which were based on Ollivant and Chewning’s experience during combat operations in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, influenced the tactical deployment of US and Iraqi ground forces during the “Surge”.<ref>Military Review, "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2008-08-17., March/April 2007</ref><ref>The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War, Fred Kaplan, pp. 256 </ref><ref>Testimony before the House Armed Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-08-13. Retrieved 2008-08-17., 25 July 2007</ref> A 2006 ''New York Times'' op-ed called it “a good blueprint” for turning around the military situation in Iraq.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/10/opinion/10eaton.html|title=Opinion &#124; An Army of One Less|first=Paul D.|last=Eaton|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 10, 2006|archive-date=October 26, 2019|access-date=November 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026054057/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/10/opinion/10eaton.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2010, Ollivant and Chewning published an article in ''The American Interest'' outlining the military, political, and economic actions necessary for a successful US-Iraqi relationship after the initial US troop withdrawal.<ref>The American Interest Archived November 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.</ref>

==Business experience== Chewning returned to the private sector in 2008, ultimately becoming a partner at the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.executivegov.com/2017/10/dod-names-mckinseys-eric-chewning-as-deputy-assistant-sec-for-industrial-policy/|title=DoD Names McKinsey's Eric Chewning as Deputy Assistant Sec for Industrial Policy|date=October 18, 2017|website=Executive Gov}}</ref> While at McKinsey, he worked alongside financial sponsors and corporate leaders in the global aerospace, defense, government services, and space industries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.businessdefense.gov/About/Eric-D-Chewning/ |title=Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy > About > Eric D. Chewning |access-date=2019-11-22 |archive-date=2018-05-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180530150707/http://www.businessdefense.gov/About/Eric-D-Chewning/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> His client work focused on corporate strategy, M&A advisory, and post-merger integrations. Chewning is a graduate of The University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

==Civilian appointee in the U.S. Defense Department== In October 2017, Defense Secretary James Mattis appointed Chewning as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy (now Industrial Policy).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://insidedefense.com/insider/mattis-names-new-dod-industrial-base-chief-others|title=Mattis names new DOD industrial base chief, others|date=October 17, 2017|website=InsideDefense.com|access-date=November 22, 2019|archive-date=November 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122214948/https://insidedefense.com/insider/mattis-names-new-dod-industrial-base-chief-others|url-status=live}}</ref> In this role, Chewning focused on issues at the intersection of technology, industrial enterprises, and national security. He supported a more geoeconomic approach to DoD industrial policy, specifically in countering the macro forces working against the health of the U.S. defense industrial base.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://insidedefense.com/share/193003|title=InsideDefense.com|website=Insidedefense.com|access-date=25 October 2021|archive-date=November 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122214944/https://insidedefense.com/share/193003|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://defaeroreport.com/2018/01/22/exclusive-dods-chewning-risks-us-defense-industrial-base/|title=EXCLUSIVE: DoD's Chewning on Risks to the US Defense-Industrial Base|website=Defaeroreport.com|date=January 22, 2018|access-date=November 22, 2019|archive-date=November 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122214934/https://defaeroreport.com/2018/01/22/exclusive-dods-chewning-risks-us-defense-industrial-base/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Chewning was the architect of the U.S. government-wide assessment of the manufacturing and defense industrial base called for in President Donald Trump's Executive Order 13806 in 2017.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2019/01/08/pentagon-industrial-policy-chief-tapped-as-shanahans-chief-of-staff/|title=Pentagon industrial policy chief tapped as Shanahan's chief of staff|first=Aaron|last=Mehta|date=January 16, 2019|website=Defense News}}</ref> The report identified five macro forces that needed to be addressed:<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://media.defense.gov/2018/Oct/05/2002048904/-1/-1/1/ASSESSING-AND-STRENGTHENING-THE-MANUFACTURING-AND%20DEFENSE-INDUSTRIAL-BASE-AND-SUPPLY-CHAIN-RESILIENCY.PDF|title=Assessing and Strengthening The Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency|website=United States Department of Defense|access-date=October 25, 2021}}</ref> # Sequestration and DoD budget uncertainty # Decline of U.S. manufacturing capability and capacity # Harmful U.S. government business practices # Industrial policies of competitor nations – specifically China # Diminishing U.S. stem and trade skills.

The unclassified version of the report identified more than 300 industrial base risks ranging from access to rare earth magnets to single, sole source suppliers for key military equipment such as cannon gun tubes.<ref name="auto"/> He also testified before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to advocate to modernize the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and address the transfer of militarily relevant technologies to China.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Chewning%20Testimony%201-25-18.pdf|title=Chewning Testimony|website=Banking.senate.gov|access-date=October 25, 2021|archive-date=June 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623184227/https://www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Chewning%20Testimony%201-25-18.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/03.15.2018_eric_chewning_testimony.pdf|title=Eric Chewning Testimony|website=Financialservices.house.gov|access-date=October 25, 2021|archive-date=May 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527143336/https://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/03.15.2018_eric_chewning_testimony.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByEvent.aspx?EventID=108468|title=Military Technology Transfer: Threats, Impacts, and Solutions for the Department of Defense &#124; Committee Repository &#124; U.S. House of Representatives|website=Docs.house.gov|access-date=November 22, 2019|archive-date=December 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229234212/https://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByEvent.aspx?EventID=108468|url-status=live}}</ref>

This culminated in the passage of the Foreign Investment Risk Modernization Act as part of the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/25/news/economy/cfius-reform-administration-senate-bill/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125212912/http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/25/news/economy/cfius-reform-administration-senate-bill/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 25, 2018|title=Trump team backs tougher oversight on Chinese money in America|first=Donna|last=Borak|date=January 25, 2018|website=Money.cnn.com}}</ref> In a November 2018 speech at the Atlantic Council on implementing defense industrial policy, Eric outlined five levers by which the Department of Defense implements its industrial policy. These include: acquisition policy, procurement decisions, DoD-direct investment, regulatory review of mergers through CFIUS and antitrust authorities, and exports controls.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/implementing-defense-industrial-policy/|title=Implementing Defense-Industrial Policy|website=Atlanticcouncil.org|access-date=25 October 2021|archive-date=November 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122214938/https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/implementing-defense-industrial-policy/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Chief of Staff to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense=== In January 2019, then acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan appointed Chewning as the chief of staff to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense.<ref name="auto1"/> With the announcement, one outside observer remarked “in my mind Eric is probably the smartest person over there.”<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://breakingdefense.com/2019/05/exclusive-shanahan-keeping-top-staff-if-confirmed/|title=EXCLUSIVE: Shanahan Keeping Top Staff If Confirmed|first=Eric|last=Fanning|website=Breakingdefense.com|date=16 May 2019|access-date=November 22, 2019|archive-date=November 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122214948/https://breakingdefense.com/2019/05/exclusive-shanahan-keeping-top-staff-if-confirmed/|url-status=live}}</ref> During the summer of 2019, Chewning played a critical stabilizing role{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}} in the Pentagon as an unprecedented three separate secretaries led DoD in a 30-day period.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/1905424/esper-nominated-as-defense-secretary-spencer-now-acting-secretary/|title=Esper Nominated as Defense Secretary, Spencer Now Acting Secretary|website=U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE|access-date=December 7, 2025|archive-date=January 16, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260116191051/https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/1905424/esper-nominated-as-defense-secretary-spencer-now-acting-secretary/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Return to McKinsey== In January 2020, the Pentagon announced Chewning's planned departure from his role and a return to McKinsey.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/defense-secretary-s-chief-staff-eric-chewning-resigns-n1111196|title=Defense secretary's chief of staff, Eric Chewning, resigns|website=NBC News|date=6 January 2020|access-date=25 October 2021|archive-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530142434/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/defense-secretary-s-chief-staff-eric-chewning-resigns-n1111196|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Eric D. Chewning}} {{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chewning, Eric}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:American businesspeople Category:McKinsey & Company people Category:United States Army officers Category:United States Department of Defense officials