Undersecretary of Defense Gilbert Cisneros to step down
Mike Brest
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Gilbert Cisneros Jr., a top Department of Defense official, will step down from his position in early September.
Cisneros, who has been the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness since Aug. 24, 2021, has served as the top adviser to the secretary of defense for force readiness, force management, health affairs, National Guard and Reserve component affairs, education and training, and personnel requirements, among others.
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced Cisneros’s upcoming departure on Monday morning.
“During the two years Under Secretary Cisneros served in his role, he was a steadfast and faithful servant in the Department’s mission to take care of our people. His commitment to the ‘people first’ approach helped the Department improve the quality of life of our Service members and their families,” he said in a statement. “In addition, his steadfast commitment to decreasing the prevalence of harmful behavior ensured the Department remains on track in the implementation of the approved recommendations from the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military as well as the Independent Review Commission on Suicide Prevention.”
“Under his leadership, the [personnel and readiness] team established policies to ensure access to reproductive health care and contraceptives, promoted the safety, health, and well-being of the force during the COVID-19 pandemic, and advanced initiatives to integrate strategic readiness across the Department to better assess operational decision impacts on force readiness,” the secretary added.
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During his time in his current position, Cisneros has often been on the receiving end of criticism from Republicans in Congress for the department’s emphasis on diversity and inclusion. While testifying on the Hill, he had, at times, engaged in contentious debates with Republican members defending the department’s policies and the motivations behind them.
Cisneros, who served in the House of Representatives briefly, enlisted in the Navy in 1989 after graduating from high school, and he was commissioned as an officer in the service branch in 1994.