Pentagon comptroller David Norquist named acting deputy defense secretary

Washington: The Pentagon’s top financial officer David Norquist will soon take over as the acting deputy defense secretary, in succession to Patrick Shanahan, who took over as the acting defense secretary.
Norquist has been the department’s chief financial officer and comptroller since May 2017, said a defence official in an impromptu meeting on Wednesday at the Pentagon, reported The Hill. “David 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,” Shanahan said in a statement.
Moreover, Norquist has served as a federal civil servant for the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command in the 1990s before becoming a staffer on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee for six years. Most recently he led the Pentagon’s first audit, completed in November.
Expressing happiness over Shanahan’s appointment, acting assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Charles E. Summers, Jr. tweeted, “It was a great day leading the highly talented team at the Office of Secretary of Defense-Public Affairs. I am honoured to be entrusted to advise Secretary Shanahan & DOD leaders on public affairs, and be able to work with the greatest military professionals in the world.” In a statement that Shanahan released on January 1, he had asserted that the Department of Defense continues to be the nation’s bedrock institutions and has credited its strength to the people who volunteer to serve.
“The Department of Defense continues to be one of our nation’s bedrock institutions. Our foundational strength lies in the remarkable men and women who volunteer to serve our country and protect our freedoms while making an immense personal sacrifice. It is an honour to work with such a dedicated team committed to the greatness of our nation,” he had said.