President Biden announced today that he would be nominating William LaPlante for Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment at the Department of Defense (DoD).
In a press release, the White House stated that LaPlante’s decades of experience in acquisition, technology, sustainment, and defense industrial base (DIB) would aid him in this role, if confirmed.
Currently, LaPlante serves as president and CEO of Draper Laboratory. Before that, he worked as senior vice president for the MITRE Corporation’s National Sector, overseeing Federally-funded research and development centers for DoD and the Department of Commerce.
Before holding positions in the DIB, LaPlante served in the Obama Administration as the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics from 2014-2017.
“In that capacity, Dr. LaPlante aligned that Service’s 43-billion-dollar acquisition enterprise budget with the Air Force vision and strategy,” said the White House. “In addition, he forged a path forward on critical Air Force acquisition programs such as the B-21 long-range strike bomber, while realizing nearly $6 billion in ‘should-cost savings in other Air Force programs.”
Further, LaPlante is a past and present member of various scientific boards and commissions focused on acquisition.
