Defense Department Secretary Jim Mattis has selected McKinsey & Co. Partner Eric Chewning as a Senior Executive Service appointee and a deputy assistant secretary at DoD.
The department said Tuesday Chewning will specifically oversee manufacturing and industrial base policy as a deputy assistant secretary of defense.
Chewning most recently worked with McKinsey as a partner advising clients in the aerospace and defense industry and is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He worked as a principal at Booz & Company, now known as Strategy& under PwC, before joining McKinsey in 2014.
He earned a master of business administration degree at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business as well as an international relations master’s degree from the University of Chicago.
Related Articles
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a 2025 Wash100 Award recipient, has unveiled new directives aimed at reshaping the culture and standards of the Department of Defense during a 45-minute address to senior military leaders at Quantico, Virginia. Hegseth outlined reforms that he said will restore focus on warfighter readiness, discipline and leadership, DOD said Tuesday. “The topic today is about the nature of ourselves because no plan, no program, no reform [and] no formation will ultimately succeed unless we have the right people and the right culture at the Department of War,” Hegseth told the audience, underscoring his view that the
Zachary Terrell has been named chief technology officer of the Department of Health and Human Services, FedScoop reported Monday. Three anonymous officials confirmed his designation, which aligns with HHS’ broader restructuring of its technology operations under Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. This effort includes consolidating IT offices and implementing ChatGPT department-wide, highlighted by an OpenAI agreement with the General Services Administration to provide agencies with ChatGPT access for $1 each over the next year. DOGE Background and NSF Involvement Terrell previously held a role related to the Department of Government Efficiency at HHS and the National Science Foundation, where he was involved
The Department of the Air Force has issued a new memorandum that classifies software as a service as a commodity-based subscription service rather than a licensed software asset. In a LinkedIn post, the DAF chief information officer said the policy change shifts the department’s focus to usage, consumption and performance, unlocking real-time visibility into SaaS utilization, centralized procurement and cost control, stronger alignment with zero trust and data ownership mandates, and reduced sustainment burden on the workforce. Unlike traditional licenses, which grants ownership of the product, SaaS provides only access to applications. That distinction, according to the memo, makes it