Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation

The Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) is a principal staff assistant and advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation
Incumbent
Susanna Blume
since August 5, 2021
Reports toDeputy Secretary of Defense
SeatWashington D.C.
NominatorPresident of the United States
First holderAlain C. Enthoven

The postholder, as chartered under United States Department of Defense Directive 5141.1 in 1996 (subsequently superseded and canceled with the publication of United States Department of Defense Directive 5105.84, Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (DCAPE)),[1] provides independent analytic advice to the Secretary of Defense on all aspects of the Department of Defense (DoD) program, including alternative weapon systems and force structures, the development and evaluation of defense program alternatives, and the cost-effectiveness of defense systems. The office also conducts analyses and offers advice in a number of related areas, such as military medical care, school systems for military dependents, information technology, and defense economics. Consistent with its advisory role, the office has no decision authority or line responsibilities.[2]

The Director of CAPE reports directly to the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense. A political appointee, the Director of CAPE is an Executive Service Level IV official who is nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. He or she coordinates and exchanges information with other Office of the Secretary of Defense officials, the Heads of the DoD Components, and Federal officials having collateral or related functions.

CAPE has a staff of about 155 people, including government civilians and military officers, and hires contractors as well. The military officers serve in two- to three-year assignments with the organization. CAPE's civilian staff is drawn from a variety of academic disciplines, including physics, economics, engineering, mathematics, biology, and computer science. The CAPE staff is recognized as among the most capable in the Pentagon.

History

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CAPE traces its history to the 1960s, when Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara created the office of Assistant Secretary of Defense (Systems Analysis).

This office was most previously known as the Office of Program Analysis & Evaluation (PA&E), made defunct by the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009.

Officeholders

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The table below includes both the various titles of this post over time, as well as all the holders of those offices.

Directors of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation[3][4]
Name Tenure SecDef(s) served under President(s) served under
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Systems Analysis)
Alain C. Enthoven September 10, 1965 – January 20, 1969 Robert S. McNamara

Clark M. Clifford

Lyndon Johnson
Ivan Selin (Acting) January 31, 1969 – January 30, 1970 Melvin R. Laird Richard Nixon
Gardiner L. Tucker January 30, 1970 – March 30, 1973 Melvin R. Laird

Elliot L. Richardson

Richard Nixon
Director (Defense Program Analysis and Evaluation)
Leonard Sullivan May 21, 1973 – February 11, 1974 Elliot L. Richardson

James R. Schlesinger

Richard Nixon
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Program Analysis and Evaluation)
Leonard Sullivan February 11, 1974 – March 13, 1976 James R. Schlesinger

Donald H. Rumsfeld

Richard Nixon

Gerald Ford

Director for Planning and Evaluation
Edward C. Aldridge, Jr. May 18, 1976 – March 11, 1977 Donald H. Rumsfeld

Harold Brown

Gerald Ford

Jimmy Carter

Assistant Secretary of Defense (Program Analysis and Evaluation)
Russell Murray II April 28, 1977 – January 20, 1981 Harold Brown Jimmy Carter
Director of Program Analysis and Evaluation
David S. C. Chu May 19, 1981 – July 13, 1988 Caspar W. Weinberger

Frank C. Carlucci III

Ronald Reagan
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Program Analysis and Evaluation)
David S. C. Chu July 13, 1988 – January 20, 1993 Frank C. Carlucci III

William H. Taft IV (Acting) Richard B. Cheney

Ronald Reagan

George H. W. Bush

Director of Program Analysis and Evaluation
William J. Lynn June 25, 1993 – November 19, 1997 Leslie Aspin, Jr.

William J. Perry William S. Cohen

Bill Clinton
Robert R. Soule July 1, 1998 – April 27, 2001 William S. Cohen

Donald H. Rumsfeld

Bill Clinton

George W. Bush

Barry D. Watts May 1, 2001 – July 1, 2002 Donald H. Rumsfeld George W. Bush
Stephen A. Cambone July 1, 2002 – March 7, 2003 Donald H. Rumsfeld George W. Bush
Kenneth J. Krieg July 23, 2003 – June 6, 2005 Donald H. Rumsfeld George W. Bush
Bradley M. Berkson June 6, 2005[5] – April 3, 2009 Donald H. Rumsfeld

Robert M. Gates

George W. Bush

Barack Obama

Director of Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation
Christine H. Fox October 28, 2009 – June 2013 Robert M. Gates

Leon Panetta Chuck Hagel

Barack Obama
Jamie M. Morin June 30, 2014 – January 20, 2017 Chuck Hagel

Ashton Carter

Barack Obama
Scott Comes (Acting) January 20, 2017 - August 7, 2017 James Mattis Donald Trump
Robert Daigle August 7, 2017 – May 18, 2019[6] James Mattis Donald Trump
E. Y. (Yisroel) Brumer (Acting) May 18, 2019 – August 16, 2019 Mark Esper Donald Trump
John Whitley (Acting) August 16, 2019 – March 13, 2020[7] Mark Esper Donald Trump
Joseph Nogueira (Acting) May 4, 2020 – January 20, 2021 Mark Esper

Lloyd Austin

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Susanna Blume (Performing the Duties of) January 20, 2021[8] – April 26, 2021 Lloyd Austin Joe Biden
Susanna Blume August 5, 2021 – present Lloyd Austin Joe Biden

References

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  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2018-02-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "Home". cape.osd.mil.
  3. ^ "Department of Defense Key Officials" (PDF). Historical Office, OSD. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  4. ^ "Department of Defense Key Officials: September 1947–May 2021" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-07. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  5. ^ "DoD News: Director of Program Analysis and Evaluation Announced".
  6. ^ "Daigle to exit as CAPE head, leaving another Pentagon vacancy". 30 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Department of Defense Key Officials September 1947–December 2020" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-05-16.
  8. ^ "New Officials Sworn-In at the Department of Defense" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Defense. January 20, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.