The under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, or USD (P&R) is a high-ranking civilian position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) within the United States Department of Defense responsible for advising the secretary and deputy secretary of defense on recruitment, career development, pay and benefits, and oversight of the state of military readiness. The under secretary is appointed from civilian life by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve at the pleasure of the President.

Ashish Vazirani is the current acting under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, serving since 8 September 2023. Additionally, he exercises day-to-day supervision of the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Defense Commissary Agency.^[1]

The previous most recent under secretary was Gil Cisneros, who served from 24 August 2021 to 8 September 2023.

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (OUSD(P&R)) is the principal staff element for the Department of Defense for all human resources, human capital development, and personnel logistics matters. The USD(P&R) has oversight of the Defense Commissary Agency, Department of Defense Education Activity, Defense Human Resources Activity, the Military Health System, and the Defense Travel Management Office. The USD(P&R) is also responsible for training, health affairs, National Guard and Reserve affairs, personnel requirements for weapons support, and military and civilian family matters, subject to the authority of the Secretary of Defense.^[2] Through the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy, the United States Military Entrance Processing Command also reports to the Under Secretary.^[3]

With the rank of Under Secretary, the USD(P&R) is a Level III position within the Executive Schedule. Since January 2010, the annual rate of pay for Level III is $165,300.

The position was first mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (P.L. 103-160), signed by President Clinton on 30 November 1993.^[4] Defense Directive 5124.2, passed 17 March 1994, officially established the position, incorporating the functions of the Assistant Secretary of Defense(Force Management and Personnel) and authorizing authority over the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.^[5] Since the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 was signed on 5 October 1999, the Under Secretary has been responsible for establishing standards on deployment of units away from assigned duty stations, the length of time they may be away for a deployment away from assigned duty stations, and for establishing systems for reporting tracking deployments.^[6]

When created in 1993, the USD(P&R) assumed authority primarily over three DoD offices: the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy. The ASD(FMP) has since been abolished, its responsibilities assumed by other officials reporting to the USD(P&R).

Officials reporting to the USD (P&R) include:

• Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
• Military Deputy to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
  • Director, Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity
    • Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute
  • Director, Defense Suicide Prevention Office
  • Director, Personnel Risk Reduction Office
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
  • Military Health System
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Wounded Warrior Care & Transition Policy
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
  • Director, Defense Commissary Agency
  • Director, Department of Defense Education Activity
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness
  • Director, Office of Total Force Planning & Requirements
  • Director, Transition to Veterans Program Office
• Director, Defense Human Resources Activity
• Director, DoD/VA Collaboration Office

The Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (PDUSD(P&R)) is the Under Secretary's chief staff assistant. PDUSD (P&R) is delegated full power and authority to act for the USD(P&R) and exercise the powers of the USD(P&R) on any and all matters that the USD(P&R) is authorized to act, except in those areas where delegation of the USD(P&R) authority is otherwise restricted by higher authority or prohibited by law.

Established as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2002 (P.L. 107-107), the post took over the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy, which was then abolished. The DUSD(P&R) was re-designated Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness), or PDUSD(P&R) in July 2003 by DoD Directive 5124.8.^[5] As of 2012, the position again holds the rank of Principal Deputy Under Secretary.