The under secretary for nuclear security is the administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration within the United States Department of Energy. The National Nuclear Security Administration's responsibilities include designing, producing, and maintaining safe, secure and reliable nuclear weapons for the U.S. military, providing safe, militarily effective naval nuclear propulsion plants, and promoting international nuclear safety and nonproliferation.
The under secretary for nuclear security is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The under secretary is required to have extensive background in national security, organizational management, and appropriate technical fields. The under secretary is also a member of the Nuclear Weapons Council, and is the chair of the Council when a majority votes that the issue at hand is the primary concern of the Department of Energy. The under secretary is paid at level III of the Executive Schedule.
Officeholders + Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear SecurityAdministrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration Portrait Name Term start Term end President(s) served under 1 John A. Gordon June 28, 2000 June 27, 2002 Bill Clinton George W. Bush 2 Linton Brooks May 16, 2003 January 2006 3 Tom D'Agostino August 30, 2007 January 18, 2013 Barack Obama acting Neile L. Miller January 19, 2013 March 15, 2014 acting Bruce Held March 16, 2014 April 16, 2014 4 Frank Klotz April 17, 2014 January 20, 2018 Donald Trump 5 Lisa Gordon-Hagerty February 22, 2018 November 6, 2020 acting William Bookless November 6, 2020 January 20, 2021 acting Charles P. Verdon January 20, 2021 July 26, 2021 Joe Biden 6 Jill Hruby July 26, 2021 January 20, 2025 acting Teresa Robbins January 20, 2025 September 26, 2025 Donald Trump 7 Brandon Williams September 26, 2025 Present
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