President Donald Trump has officially nominated Michael Obadal to serve as the next under secretary of the U.S. Army. The White House said Tuesday that it has submitted Obadal’s nomination to the U.S. Senate for confirmation.
Who Is Michael Obadal?
Obadal is a retired Army colonel who currently serves as senior director at Anduril Industries, a defense company providing advanced technologies to the U.S. and its allies. In December, Anduril secured a $100 million contract from the Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office to develop a tactical data mesh system in support of the Open Data and Applications Government-owned Interoperable Repositories, or Open DAGIR, program.
Before Anduril, Obadal served at the U.S. Army for over 27 years. According to his profile on the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, he started his military career as an attack helicopter officer and was appointed task force leader for Army Special Operations Command and Joint Special Operations Command.
Obadal holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the Virginia Military Institute and earned his master’s degree in national security policy from the U.S. Naval War College.