US defense secretary directs higher rank for special-operations office
Pete Hegseth directs service-secretary-equivalent seniority and meeting access for the civilian office. His proposed undersecretary post would require legislation, and he has ordered officials to draft proposals for Congress.
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Derrick Anderson holds the post of assistant secretary of defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. The assistant secretary is the defense secretary’s principal civilian adviser on special operations and low-intensity conflict, with overall supervision including policy and resource oversight. Congress mandated the position in legislation passed on 14 November 1986, and the Pentagon formally established it on 4 January 1988.
The memorandum directs legislative affairs officials to draft proposals for Congress to create an undersecretary of strategic services. That elevation requires legislation; the internal change in precedence does not itself create the post or a separate military department, Breaking Defense said.
Meetings, staff and funding
Hegseth directs that Anderson’s office be included in senior forums including the Senior Leaders Council, Joint Requirements Oversight Council, Secretary’s Weekly Priorities Review, Program Budget Review, Deputy’s Management Action Group, Sensitive Technical Activities Oversight Committee and Special Access Program governance structures, as well as other forums attended by military-department secretaries. The memo also gives the post the secondary title “Assistant Secretary of War for the Office of Strategic Services,” an unofficial name that the department hopes Congress will formalize through a future National Defense Authorization Act.
The memorandum calls for 75 civilians and 25 Joint Staff members to transfer to the office within 60 days. It directs the Pentagon’s comptroller to find $45 million a year from departmental operations and maintenance funds for the office’s day-to-day work.
Hegseth said special-operations resources lag behind current demands and force posture. He directs military departments to prioritize support where feasible, including shared platforms and replacements for combat losses. He also tells budget planners to prioritize opportunities during FY2027 and consider US Special Operations Command’s submitted resource and staffing requests as top-tier priorities in FY2028–2032 budget development, consistent with its assigned missions.
Congressional authority
Kori Schake, who leads the American Enterprise Institute’s defense team, said Hegseth lacks authority to make the change or allocate the money and that Congress would need to authorize it and appropriate funds. She also argued that the US is overinvesting in special operations.
Former acting defense secretary Chris Miller advocated a $24 billion annual special-operations budget in a May article for Breaking Defense.
The next legislative step directed by the memo is for Pentagon officials to draft proposals for Congress to establish the undersecretary post.
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