White House CTO chosen to serve as acting Pentagon tech chief

U.S. Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Michael Kratsios has been tapped to serve as the acting undersecretary of Defense for research and engineering, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced on Monday.  

Kratsios will serve as the Pentagon’s chief technology officer while remaining President Trump’s top technology policy adviser. 

“In seeking to fill this position we wanted someone with experience in identifying and developing new technologies and working closely with a wide range of industry partners,” Esper said in a statement.  

“We think Michael is the right person for this job and we are excited to have him on the team,” he added. 

In his new role, Kratsios is slated to oversee the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Defense Innovation Unit, the Space Development Agency and the Pentagon research laboratories, and he is expected to play a key role in helping develop the Department of Defense’s (DOD) policy on 5G. 

“As CTO of the United States Michael has been instrumental in the development and execution of our national 5G strategy,” Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, said of the appointment. 

“He is a seasoned, highly knowledgeable, and effective leader who is deeply committed to ensuring American dominance in our most critical emerging technologies. The DoD and our nation are lucky to have him,” he added.

He will be taking over for Mike Griffin, who stepped down from the role on July 10 to start his own company alongside former Pentagon official Lisa Porter. 

Following the announcement of Griffin’s departure, Esper indicated he was looking for his replacement to have Silicon Valley experience. Prior to joining the administration, Kratsios worked as chief of staff for Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel.