David Norquist facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Norquist
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Official portrait, 2019
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| Acting United States Secretary of Defense | |
| In office January 20, 2021 – January 22, 2021 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Christopher C. Miller (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Lloyd Austin |
| 34th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense | |
| In office July 31, 2019 – February 8, 2021 |
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| President | Donald Trump Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Patrick Shanahan |
| Succeeded by | Kathleen Hicks |
| Acting January 1, 2019 – July 23, 2019 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Patrick Shanahan |
| Succeeded by | Richard V. Spencer (acting) |
| 7th Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/CFO | |
| In office June 2, 2017 – July 31, 2019 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | John P. Roth (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Elaine McCusker (acting) |
| Chief Financial Officer of the United States Department of Homeland Security | |
| In office June 1, 2006 – December 1, 2008 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Andrew Maner |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Sherry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 24, 1966 Concord, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Stephanie |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Grover Norquist (brother) |
| Education | University of Michigan (BA, MPP) Georgetown University (MA) |
David Lutz Norquist (born November 24, 1966) is an American expert in managing money for large organizations. He used to be a high-ranking government official. From 2019 to 2021, he served as the 34th Deputy Secretary of Defense for the United States. Since May 2022, Norquist has been the president and CEO of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). This group works with companies that build things for national defense.
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Early Life and Education
David Norquist was born on November 24, 1966. He studied at the University of Michigan, where he earned two degrees in 1989. He received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science and a Master of Public Policy (MPP). Later, in 1995, he earned a Master of Arts (MA) in National Security Studies from Georgetown University. His brother is Grover Norquist, who is a well-known lobbyist.
Government Career
Norquist started his career in 1989 working for the U.S. Army. He was a budget analyst, helping to manage the Army's money. He worked in different roles related to budgeting and resources for the Army until 1996.
From 1997 to 2002, Norquist worked for the House Appropriations Committee. This committee in the U.S. Congress decides how government money is spent. He focused on defense spending. After that, from 2002 to 2006, he was a Deputy Undersecretary of Defense. In this role, he helped oversee the finances of the Department of Defense.
Leading Finances at Homeland Security
In 2006, President George W. Bush chose Norquist to be the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Department of Homeland Security. This department protects the U.S. from threats. Norquist was the first person to be officially approved by the Senate for this job. He worked to fix problems with the department's financial records. He served in this role from June 2006 to December 2008.
Return to Defense Department
In 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Norquist to be the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Defense. This is a very important job overseeing all the money for the U.S. military. He was approved by the Senate in May 2017.
As the Comptroller, Norquist led the first-ever full financial check of the Department of Defense. This was a huge task, looking at $2.7 trillion in assets. Over 1,000 outside auditors helped with this audit. They found some "major flaws" in how things were tracked, but no big cases of fraud.
Deputy Secretary of Defense
In 2019, David Norquist became the Deputy Secretary of Defense. This is the second-highest civilian job in the Department of Defense. He had been acting in the role for several months before being officially confirmed.
As Deputy Secretary, Norquist focused on how the defense budget was spent. He wanted to make sure money was used wisely. He also made it a top priority to fund new technologies. These included very fast aircraft (called hypersonics) and artificial intelligence. He ordered a detailed review of the defense budget plans for 2021 to 2025.
Acting Secretary of Defense
For a short time in January 2021, Norquist served as the acting Secretary of Defense. This happened when President Joe Biden took office. Norquist held this top defense role until Lloyd Austin was confirmed by the Senate as the new Secretary of Defense on January 22, 2021.
Personal Life
David Norquist is married to Stephanie, and they have three children. As mentioned earlier, his younger brother is Grover Norquist, who founded a group called Americans for Tax Reform.
