William LaPlante, most recently president and CEO of Draper and a former Air Force acquisition chief, took oath as undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment at the Department of Defense.
LaPlante, who was confirmed by the Senate on April 7, will oversee matters related to acquisition, logistics and materiel readiness, operational energy, contract administration, acquisition workforce, chemical and biological defense and the defense industrial base, DOD said Friday.
He was nominated in November and appeared before the upper chamber for his confirmation hearing in late March. During the hearing, he noted that the U.S. needs more production lines to make missiles, drones and bombs that could be used as a deterrent to potential adversaries.
LaPlante, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, served as assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics from 2014 to 2017. He also worked at Mitre as senior vice president for national security sector.
He previously served as a member of the Defense Science Board and as a commissioner on the Section 809 Panel, a congressionally mandated group tasked with conducting reviews of defense acquisition policies.
