Robert O. Work

{{Short description|American marine, military strategist and politician (born 1953)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Robert O. Work DoD photo.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2014 | order = 32nd | office = United States Deputy Secretary of Defense | president = Barack Obama Donald Trump | 1blankname = Secretary | 1namedata = Ash Carter Jim Mattis | term_start = May 1, 2014 | term_end = July 14, 2017 | predecessor = Ash Carter | successor = Patrick M. Shanahan | office1 = 31st United States Under Secretary of the Navy | president1 = Barack Obama | term_start1 = May 19, 2009 | term_end1 = March 22, 2013 | predecessor1 = Dionel M. Aviles | successor1 = Janine A. Davidson | birth_name = Robert Orton Work | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|1|17}} | birth_place = {{nowrap|Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.}} | death_date = | death_place = | party =  | education = University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BS) University of Southern California (MS) Naval Postgraduate School (MS) Johns Hopkins University (MPA) | allegiance = {{flag|United States}} | branch = {{flag|United States Marine Corps}} | service_years = 1974–2001 | rank = 20px {{nowrap|Colonel}} }} '''Robert Orton Work''' (born January 17, 1953) is an American national security professional who served as the 32nd United States Deputy Secretary of Defense for both the Obama and Trump administrations from 2014 to 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=Robert O. Work |url=https://www.war.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/602787/robert-o-work/ |website=U. S. Department of Defense |access-date=24 December 2018}}</ref> Prior to that, Work was the United States' Under Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2013, and before that served as a colonel in the United States Marine Corps; Work retired in 2001 and worked as a civilian at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) and the George Washington University in various positions relating to military and strategic study.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=72825|title=Navy Says Farewell to Under Secretary|author1=This story was written Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Shannon Burns|author2= Defense Media Activity-Navy}}</ref> From 2013 to 2014, he was the CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). After his time as Deputy Secretary of Defense, he went on to serve on the board of Raytheon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Robert O. Work {{!}} Pentagon Revolving Door |url=https://www.pogo.org/database/pentagon-revolving-door/people/robert-o-work |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=Project On Government Oversight |date=19 July 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref> As of October 2023, he serves on the Special Competitive Studies Project's board of advisors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who We Are |url=https://www.scsp.ai/about/who-we-are/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=SCSP |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Early life and education== Work was born in Charlotte, North Carolina,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/113/chrg/shrg93919/CHRG-113shrg93919.pdf |title=S. HRG. 113–611 |access-date=14 August 2015 |archive-date=6 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006073037/https://www.congress.gov/113/chrg/shrg93919/CHRG-113shrg93919.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> on January 17, 1953.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Nominations Before the Senate Armed Service Committee, First Session, 111th Congress |url=https://fas.org/irp/congress/2009_hr/nominate.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506183144/https://fas.org/irp/congress/2009_hr/nominate.html |archive-date=6 May 2016 |access-date=4 April 2015}}</ref> He attended the University of Illinois and earned a B.S. in Biology. Work later earned an M.S. in Systems Management from the University of Southern California; an M.S. in Space System Operations from the Naval Postgraduate School; and a master's degree in International Policy from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

==Military career== Work's military service began while he was an undergraduate at the University of Illinois, where he was a member of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps in September 1974.

Work spent 27 years in the Marines, holding a variety of positions. He commanded an artillery battery, then an artillery battalion. He rose to become base commander of Camp Fuji; the first head of the Marine Corps' Strategic Initiatives Group, a small analytical group that provided advice directly to the Commandant of the Marine Corps; and, in his highest military posting, as Military Assistant and Special Aide to United States Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig. In 1997–1998, he attended MIT Seminar XXI.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://semxxi.mit.edu/about/messages/from-the-director |title=From the Director: September, 2015 |last=Art |first=Robert |date=September 1, 2015 |website=MIT Seminar XXI |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology}}; {{cite web |author=Massachusetts Institute of Technology|url=https://semxxi.mit.edu/alumni |title=Find Alumni |website=MIT Seminar XXI |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology}}</ref> Work's rank when he retired from the Marines in 2001 was colonel.

==Civilian career== He joined the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) as a senior fellow for maritime affairs. He later became the CSBA's vice president for strategic studies. He also took a position as an adjunct professor at George Washington University, teaching defense analysis and roles and missions of the armed forces. During this period, Work wrote and spoke extensively on naval and marine strategy. He also directed and analyzed war games for the Office of Net Assessment and for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He participated in the Quadrennial Defense Review in 2006. Work's work has focused on defense strategy; proposals to restructure the Department of Defense; and maritime affairs.

===Under Secretary of the Navy=== [[File:US-UnderSecretaryOfTheNavy-Flag.svg|thumb|left|Flag of the Under Secretary of the Navy]] During the presidential transition of Barack Obama, Work was a member of the Department of Defense Transition Team, focusing on the transition at the United States Department of the Navy. President Barack Obama nominated Work as Under Secretary of the Navy and Work was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 19, 2009.

Work has criticized former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for assuming that the United States would always have an advantage in guided weapons and, as such, be able to quickly defeat any foe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=169|title=Budget Cuts and New Ways of Doing Business Await the Marine Corps – Blog}}</ref>

In July 2011, Work called into question the navy's plans for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, asking if the numbers or types could be reduced in favor of more unmanned systems.<ref>Sweetman, Bill. [http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/awst/2011/08/29/AW_08_29_2011_p24-363094.xml "New Threat To F-35 Joint Strike Fighter."] ''Aviation Week'', September 1, 2011.</ref>

In 2012, after submitting a budget request that reduced submarine construction, Work said that only a submarine could operate in the Taiwan Strait during a conflict with China.<ref>Parsons, Dan. [http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/lists/posts/post.aspx?ID=759 "Navy Leaders Frustrated by Littoral Combat Ship Naysayers."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024130944/http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/lists/posts/post.aspx?ID=759 |date=24 October 2015 }} ''National Defense Magazine'', April 19, 2012.</ref><ref>Shapiro, Michael Welles. [https://www.dailypress.com/2012/04/26/bill-to-keep-steady-funding-of-virginia-class-subs-advances/ "Bill to keep steady funding of Virginia-class subs advances."] ''Daily Press'', 26 April 2012.</ref>

In 2013, the Center for a New American Security announced that Work would be their new CEO as of April 22, 2013.<ref>[http://www.navytimes.com/news/2013/02/dn-navy-undersecretary-robert-work-to-step-down-022013/ "Navy Undersecretary Robert Work to step down."]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.executivegov.com/2013/02/robert-work-to-head-defense-security-think-tank/|title=Robert Work To Head Defense, Security Think Tank|work=Executive Gov|date=21 February 2013}}</ref>

===Deputy Secretary of Defense=== [[File:Flag of the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense.svg|thumb|left|Flag of the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense]] [[File:Army-Navy Football 161210-N-LV331-003.jpg|thumb|Adm. John M. Richardson, Sec. Ray Mabus, Deputy Sec. Work, and Gen. Robert Neller at the 117th Army–Navy Game in Dec. 2016.]] On February 7, 2014, President Obama nominated Work to become Deputy Secretary of Defense.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140207/DEFREG02/302070026 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140207182446/http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140207/DEFREG02/302070026 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 7, 2014 |title=Senate Committee Confirms Work's Nomination for Pentagon No. 2 Spot |last1=McLeary |first1=Paul |date=7 February 2014 |website=defensenews.com |publisher=Gannett Government Media |access-date=7 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=121628 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714083323/http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=121628 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 July 2015 |title=Obama Nominates Work as Next Deputy Defense Secretary |last1=Garamone |first1=Jim |date=February 7, 2014 |website=United States Department of Defense |publisher=American Forces Press Service |access-date=February 8, 2014}}</ref>

In October 2014, Deputy Secretary Work instructed the Defense Business Board to hire consultants from McKinsey & Company to identify wasteful spending.<ref name="WashPo">{{cite news|last1=Craig Whitlock|last2=Bob Woodward|title=Pentagon buries evidence of $125 billion in bureaucratic waste|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/pentagon-buries-evidence-of-125-billion-in-bureaucratic-waste/2016/12/05/e0668c76-9af6-11e6-a0ed-ab0774c1eaa5_story.html|access-date=6 December 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=5 December 2016|page=A1|author1-link=Craig Whitlock|author2-link=Bob Woodward}}</ref> McKinsey discovered DoD was spending $134 billion, 23% of its total budget, on back-office work, and that the back-office bureaucracy staff of over one million people was nearly as great as the number of active duty troops.<ref name=WashPo/> On January 22, 2015, the board then voted to recommend adoption of McKinsey's five-year plan to cut $125 billion in waste.<ref name=WashPo/>

However, after Secretary Chuck Hagel was replaced by Ash Carter the next month, Deputy Secretary Work expressed his concerns that any gain from savings achieved would then be removed from the defense budget by Congress.<ref name=WashPo/> Under Secretary Frank Kendall III argued that he could not achieve any efficiencies and, instead, that he needed to hire 1,000 more staff.<ref name=WashPo/> Secretary Carter then replaced the board chairman, classified the McKinsey results as secret, and removed the report from public websites.<ref name=WashPo/>

When James Mattis became defense secretary in January 2017, he asked Work to remain as deputy in order to complete several tasks, including preparing an amendment for additional funding in fiscal year 2017 and preparing the fiscal year 2018 budget for submittal in May 2017. This may have marked the first time in history when the top three posts at the Pentagon – secretary, deputy secretary, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs – were held by Marines.<ref name=Sisk/>

=== National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence === From 2019<ref>{{Cite web|date=31 July 2019|title=National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Initial Report|url=https://www.nscai.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NSCAI_Initial-Report-to-Congress_July-2019.pdf|access-date=12 May 2021}}</ref> to 2021, Work co-chaired the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence with Eric Schmidt.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Shead|first=Sam|date=2021-03-02|title=U.S. is 'not prepared to defend or compete in the A.I. era,' says expert group chaired by Eric Schmidt|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/02/us-not-prepared-to-defend-or-compete-in-ai-era-says-eric-schmidt-group.html|access-date=2021-05-12|website=CNBC|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-02|title=AI commission sees 'extraordinary' support to stand up tech-focused service academy|url=https://federalnewsnetwork.com/artificial-intelligence/2021/03/ai-commission-sees-extraordinary-support-to-stand-up-tech-focused-service-academy/|access-date=2021-05-12|website=Federal News Network|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Awards and accolades=== On March 21, 2013, Robert Work was presented with the Navy Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Department of the Navy's highest award for civilians.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

At a farewell ceremony in the Pentagon's auditorium on January 13, 2017, outgoing Defense Secretary Carter pinned Work with the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Pentagon's highest award for a civilian.<ref name=Sisk>{{cite news|last1=Sisk|first1=Richard|title=Three Marines Leading Pentagon Staying Put for Now|url=http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/02/01/three-marines-leading-pentagon-staying-put-now.html?ESRC=marine-a_170201.nl|access-date=2 February 2017|work=Military.com|date=February 1, 2017}}</ref>

In December 2019 Work was presented with the Swedish Royal Order of the Polar Star by defense minister Peter Hultqvist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ForsvarsdepSv/status/1204180435254882305|title=Robert O. Work, fd biträdande försvarsminister, förlänas Nordstjärneorden för arbetet med att fördjupa försvarssamarbetet mellan Sverige och USA.pic.twitter.com/JmDuF8GQQE|last=Försvarsdep|date=2019-12-09|website=@ForsvarsdepSv|language=sv|access-date=2019-12-10}}</ref>

== Boards & Fellowships ==

* In October 2017, Work joined the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory as a Senior Fellow.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-04 |title=Robert Work Named Johns Hopkins APL Senior Fellow - ExecutiveBiz |url=https://blog.executivebiz.com/2017/10/robert-work-named-johns-hopkins-apl-senior-fellow/ |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=blog.executivebiz.com |language=en-US}}</ref> * In June 2020, Work joined as Chairman of the Board of SparkCognition Government Systems ([https://sparkgov.ai SGS]). * In June 2020, Govini announced the appointment of Work as its chairman of the board.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-01|title=Govini Announces the Appointment of Hon. Robert O. Work as Chairman of the Board|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200601005052/en/Govini-Announces-the-Appointment-of-Hon.-Robert-O.-Work-as-Chairman-of-the-Board|access-date=2021-10-31|website=www.businesswire.com|language=en}}</ref>

==Criticism of Google== After retiring as Deputy Defense Secretary, Work in 2018 criticized Google and its employees for, in his view, stepping into a ''moral hazard'' for themselves as not continuing Pentagon's artificial intelligence project while helping China's AI technology that could be used against the United States in a conflict. He described Google as hypocritical, given it has opened an AI center in China and said "[a]nything that’s going on in the AI center in China is going to the Chinese government and then will ultimately end up in the hands of the Chinese military. I didn’t see any Google employee saying, ‘Hmm, maybe we shouldn't do that.'"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/former-us-defense-official-faults-google-for-ending-ai-partnership/4455238.html|title=Former US Defense Official Says Google Has Stepped Into a 'Moral Hazard'|website=Voice of America|date=2018-06-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-09-13/larry-page-is-a-no-show-with-google-under-a-harsh-spotlight|title=Where in the World Is Larry Page?|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|date=2018-09-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-pentagon-must-modernize-before-its-too-late/2018/09/17/8a9ab1e8-b1fe-11e8-aed9-001309990777_story.html|title=The Pentagon must modernize before it's too late|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2018-09-17}}</ref>

== Recent publications ==

=== Articles === Can the US compete with China? Not without strong patent rights. ''The Hill'', (co-authored with Rama Elluru)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Work |first=Robert |last2=Elluru |first2=Rama |date=2023-10-24 |title=Can the US compete with China? Not without strong patent rights. |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/4272194-can-the-us-compete-with-china-not-without-strong-patent-rights/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

==External links== {{commons category}} *[https://www.war.gov/About/Biographies/Article/602787/robert-o-work/ Defense.gov biography for Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20081004112003/http://www.gwu.edu/~elliott/faculty/parttime_w.cfm Faculty Profile at the Elliott School of International Affairs] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140127071423/http://www.cnas.org/people/leadership/experts/staff/the-honorable-robert-work CNAS bio] *{{C-SPAN|1014924}}

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Ash Carter}} {{s-ttl|title=United States Deputy Secretary of Defense|years=2014–2017}} {{s-aft|after=Pat Shanahan}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Work, Robert O.}} Category:1953 births Category:George Washington University faculty Category:Living people Category:Naval Postgraduate School alumni Category:Obama administration personnel Category:Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies alumni Category:Military personnel from Charlotte, North Carolina Category:United States deputy secretaries of defense Category:United States Marine Corps officers Category:United States under secretaries of the navy Category:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Category:University of Southern California alumni Category:Center for a New American Security Category:Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments