Pentagon adds former House Majority Leader Cantor to Defense Policy Board

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has tapped J.D. Crouch, a former deputy national security adviser, as chair of the Defense Policy Board, while enlisting former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to serve on the board as well.

In a Nov. 30 statement, the Pentagon announced the appointment of Crouch, who is currently the chief executive officer and president of the United Services Organization. Crouch served President George W. Bush between 2005 and 2007 as an assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser, according to his USO biography.

Before his White House role, Crouch worked in various roles in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, including as the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security policy from 1990 to 1992 and assistant secretary of defense for international security policy from 2001 to 2003.

Following his time in government, Crouch worked in various executive roles at QinetiQ North America (QNA), rising to the position of CEO in 2013. He left to take over as president of USO in 2014 after QNA was divested by its parent company.

Mattis also has added Eric Cantor to the Defense Policy Board, according to the announcement. The former Virginia Republican congressman was House Majority Leader from 2011 until 2014, when he was ousted from his seat in a stunning primary loss. Cantor is now vice chairman of investment bank Moelis and Co.

Joining Cantor on the board is Wanda Austin from Making Space, David McCormick from Bridgewater Associates, Kiron Skinner from Carnegie Mellon University and Jim Talent, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, according to the Pentagon.

Returning members of the board are Madeleine Albright, Rudy deLeon, Michèle Flournoy, Jamie Gorelick, Jane Harman, Henry Kissinger, Frank Miller, William Perry and Gary Roughead.

The Defense Policy Board gives advice to the defense secretary, deputy defense secretary and under secretary for policy on "matters of defense policy," according to the Pentagon.