New Order

President Obama yesterday changed the order of succession within the Defense Department, reversing revisions made by the Bush administration in 2005, when Donald Rumsfeld was the defense secretary.

The 2005 guidance put the under secretaries of defense for intelligence, policy and acquisition matters ahead of the secretaries of the Army, Air Force and Navy. But Obama has restored the service secretaries to the spots just behind the deputy defense secretary. The Army secretary is third in line, followed by his counterparts in the Navy and Air Force.

Obama issued an executive order to make the change, just as his predecessor did in 2005.