Kenneth Krieg

Defense
Kenneth Krieg
Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition,
Technology and Logistics

As the Boeing Co. tanker deal destroyed the careers of Darleen Druyun and others, it elevated the reputation of Kenneth Krieg. According to e-mails sent between Defense officials, Krieg was one of the few who opposed the deal. His resistance to what is now known as a multibillion-dollar scandal helped get him confirmed as undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics in May. Before that, he had served as director of the Pentagon's Program Analysis and Evaluation Office, where he expressed his concerns about the tanker deal.

While Krieg declined interviews for several months after his confirmation, his public testimony documents his attraction to accountability. In April, he told the Senate Armed Services Committee, "Perhaps the most compelling lesson learned from the tanker lease process is that the acquisition of major defense systems is the people's process. The undertaking of such a momentous program must be fully transparent and consider the concerns of all the relevant stakeholders."

He also said that his office's greatest challenge is to equip the Defense Department to fight the war against terrorism. As acquisition chief, he shapes the Pentagon's buying strategies and has responsibility for all the department's purchases.

Before Krieg joined the Defense Department in 2001, he worked as a vice president for Stamford, Ct.-based International Paper. Previously, he served in various roles at the White House, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on the National Security Council staff.

A native of Logan, Ohio, Krieg studied history at Davidson College in North Carolina and received a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.