The

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national sec ...

's Office of Net Assessment (ONA) was created in 1973 by

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

to serve as the Pentagon's "internal

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

" that "looks 20 to 30 years into the military's future, often with the assistance of outside contractors, and produces reports on the results of its research". The Director of Net Assessment is the principal staff assistant and advisor to the

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

and

Deputy Secretary of Defense The deputy secretary of defense (acronym: DepSecDef) is a statutory office () and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the sec ...

on net assessment. According to Defense Directive 5111.11, the Director shall develop and coordinate net assessments of the standing, trends, and future prospects of U.S. military capabilities and military potential in comparison with those of other countries or groups of countries in order to identify emerging or future threats or opportunities for the United States. Paul Bracken explains that it is important to have a good grasp of net assessment because it is an "important part of the language spoken by leaders in the higher levels of DOD" and officers who lack familiarity "will be at a disadvantage in communicating with the civilian leadership". Andrew Marshall was named its first director, a position he continued to hold under succeeding administrations. In October 2014, Marshall announced plans to retire in January 2015. He was replaced by Jim Baker in May 2015.

List of directors

* Andrew Marshall, 1973 – January 2, 2015 * James H. Baker, May 14, 2015 – Present

Notable staff

Staff members have included: * David S. Yost * Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr., formerly the president of the

Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) is an independent, non-profit, Washington, D.C.-based think tank specializing in US defense policy, force planning, and US defense budget, budgets. It is headed by Thomas Mahnken. According ...

* Larry Seaquist, recently a member of Washington State's House of Representatives

References

United States Department of Defense agencies Military units and formations established in 1973 1973 establishments in Washington, D.C. {{US-mil-stub