Michael Horowitz, the Department of Defense’s (DoD) first-ever deputy assistant secretary of defense for force development and emerging capabilities, announced his resignation via a post on the platform X on Friday.
“It has been an incredible honor and privilege to serve our great nation as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, helping an amazing team drive forward on emerging capabilities like AI, force development, AUKUS, and more!” he wrote in his resignation announcement.
During his tenure, Horowitz played a key part in overhauling the DoD Directive 3000.09, the key policy that defines and outlines the framework for developing and procuring weapons with autonomous capabilities.
Horowitz assumed role in July 2023 when the Pentagon established the new Force Development and Emerging Capabilities Office as part of an organizational restructuring. The new office in the policy directorate merged with the previously separate Emerging Capabilities Policy Office and the Force Development Office.
Before he assumed the role, Horowitz was the inaugural director of the Office of Emerging Capabilities Policy, a role he began in 2022. Horowitz brought over two decades of experience in management, research, and academia focused on international security issues when he joined the Pentagon.
To join the DoD, Horowitz took a leave of absence from his position as the director of Perry World House and Richard Perry Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
In his announcement on Friday, he shared that he will be returning to Perry World House to resume his role as director. He stated that he will “focus on strategy, emerging tech, and international relations, among other issues.
