David Norquist facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Norquist
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Official portrait, 2019
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| United States Secretary of Defense | |
| Acting 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) |
| Comptroller/CFO of the Department of Defense | |
| 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 in 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. In May 2022, Norquist was chosen to lead the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) as its president and CEO.
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Early Life and Education
David Norquist was born on November 24, 1966, in Concord, Massachusetts. He went to the University of Michigan. In 1989, he earned two degrees: a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science and a Master of Public Policy (MPP).
Later, in 1995, he continued his studies at Georgetown University. There, he received a Master of Arts (MA) in National Security Studies. David Norquist has a brother named Grover Norquist, who is a well-known lobbyist.
David Norquist's Career in Government
Norquist started his career in 1989. He worked for the Department of the Army as a budget analyst. He helped manage the Army's money for four years. From 1993 to 1995, he was a budget analyst for the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command. This group handles intelligence and security for the Army.
Working for the Army and Congress
From 1995 to 1996, Norquist was in charge of managing resources at Menwith Hill Station in the United Kingdom. This was also for the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command. After that, for six years (1997-2002), Norquist worked for the House Appropriations Committee. This is a special committee in the U.S. House of Representatives that decides how government money is spent.
Between 2002 and 2006, he held a high-level position. He was the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense. In this role, he helped manage the money for the Department of Defense.
Leading Finances at Homeland Security
In 2006, President George W. Bush chose Norquist for an important job. He became the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the United States Department of Homeland Security. This means he was the main person in charge of all the money for that department. He served in this role from June 2006 to December 2008.
Norquist was the first person to be officially approved by the Senate for this CFO position. He worked to fix big issues with how the department kept track of its money.
Working in the Private Sector
In 2008, Norquist joined Kearney & Company. This is a company that helps organizations manage their finances. He became a partner there.
Returning to the Department of Defense
On March 20, 2017, President Donald Trump announced he wanted Norquist to return to the Department of Defense. He was nominated to be the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer. This is the top financial officer for the entire Department of Defense.
The U.S. Senate approved his nomination on May 25, 2017. Everyone agreed to his appointment. He started serving on June 2, 2017. As the Comptroller, he oversaw a huge financial check of the Department of Defense. This was the first time the department had ever done a full audit of its $2.7 trillion in assets. Over 1,000 outside auditors were involved. They found some "major flaws" but no big cases of fraud.
Deputy Secretary of Defense
In December 2018, the Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis, resigned. The Deputy Secretary, Patrick M. Shanahan, then became the acting Secretary. This meant Norquist became the acting Deputy Secretary. He served in this temporary role for several months.
Becoming the Official Deputy Secretary
After Shanahan resigned in June 2019, President Trump nominated Mark Esper to be the new Secretary of Defense. On June 21, the president also announced he wanted Norquist to be the official Deputy Secretary. His nomination was sent to the Senate on July 23. The Senate approved him on July 30, 2019, by a voice vote, meaning everyone agreed. He had already been acting in the role for almost seven months.
As Deputy Secretary, Norquist promised to make big changes to the defense budget. He wanted to focus on funding new technologies. These included very fast hypersonic weapons and artificial intelligence. On August 2, 2019, he ordered a complete review of the defense budget plans for 2021 to 2025.
Acting Secretary of Defense
Norquist became the acting Secretary of Defense on January 20, 2021. He held this important role for a short time. He served until January 22, when Lloyd Austin was approved by the Senate to become the new Secretary of Defense under President Joe Biden.
Personal Life
David Norquist is married to Stephanie, and they have three children. His younger brother is Grover Norquist, who founded a group called Americans for Tax Reform.
