President Donald Trump on March 24 announced nominees to lead the Department of Defense’s (DoD) cyber and technology efforts, according to nomination notices posted on Congress.gov.
Katie Sutton has been nominated to serve as the assistant secretary of defense (ASD) for cyber policy. If confirmed, she will become the second person to hold this role, which was established by Congress in the fiscal year 2023 defense policy bill due to the growing role of cyber in the U.S. military.
According to her LinkedIn page, Sutton currently serves as the chief technology advisor to the commander and director of Pentagon operations at U.S. Cyber Command, a role she has held since June 2023.
Before that, Sutton worked as a professional staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, overseeing 5G, cyber, digital modernization, and emerging technology efforts at the Department of Defense. She also served on the House Committee on Armed Services, managing the cyber, information technology, cloud, and information operations portfolio for the Emerging Threats and Capabilities subcommittee.
President Trump also nominated Michael Dodd to serve as ASD for critical technologies. If confirmed, Dodd will play a pivotal role in the Pentagon’s research and engineering (R&E) directorate, which oversees next-generation military capabilities.
Like the ASD for cyber policy, the ASD for critical technologies is a relatively new position, created in 2023 as part of a reorganization within the R&E directorate. Maynard Holliday performed the role during the Biden administration.
According to his LinkedIn page, Dodd currently serves as the principal for the energy portfolio at the National Security Innovation Capital component of the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). He also served as university program director at DIU’s National Security Innovation Network. Dodd also served for more than 11 years in the Marine Corps.
Both nominations were received on Capitol Hill on March 24 and referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee for consideration.