LaPlante sworn in as DOD acquisition chief

Bill LaPlante today was sworn in as under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, filling the senior-most Pentagon vacancy.

LaPlante, who served as Air Force acquisition executive during the Obama administration, previously worked as president and CEO of the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, MA.

During his nomination hearing last month, LaPlante told Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) that his most immediate priority, if confirmed, would be to accelerate all equipment and capabilities being sent to Ukraine and NATO allies, as well as replenishing U.S. stockpiles of those systems.

Earlier this week, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said she looked forward to LaPlante assuming his post and working with Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu.

“They work great together,” Hicks said. “They’ve known each other a long time. I anticipate a really strong [Office of the Secretary of Defense] team, alongside the vice chairman being able to come together and start to build out, from a concept basis, what are those key technologies and what experiments with those technologies that will lead to breakthroughs.”