Honorable David L. Norquist
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense
Honorable David L. Norquist
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense
Mr. David L. Norquist served as the 34th Deputy Defense Secretary from July 31, 2019, until February 9, 2021.
Mr. Norquist has 30 years of experience in federal financial management and national security. He began his career as a Presidential Management Fellow and a Program Budget Analyst for the Department of the Army. During his eight years with the Army, he worked at Army Headquarters, U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, and as the Director of Resource Management at Menwith Hill Station in the United Kingdom. In 1997, he became a professional staff member on the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Defense. He served from 2002-2006 as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense in the Office of the Comptroller, where he received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service.
In 2006, Mr. Norquist was selected by President George W. Bush to be Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He was the first Senate-confirmed Chief Financial Officer for the Department. For his leadership, he received the Secretary of Homeland Security Outstanding Service Medal.
Prior to his current tour in the Department of Defense (DOD), Mr. Norquist was a Partner with Kearney and Company, a certified public accounting (CPA) firm focused exclusively on the federal government.
Mr. Norquist was appointed as the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer on June 2, 2017 and served as the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on all budgetary and financial matters. He supported the National Defense Strategy (NDS) through the development and execution of the Department’s annual budget of more than $680 billion. Mr. Norquist strengthened accountability to the taxpayer by implementing DOD’s first department-wide financial statement audit.
Mr. Norquist is a 1989 graduate of the University of Michigan, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy. He also holds a Master’s Degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University and is a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM).