1) As you may have read in news reports last Friday, Mr. Jimmy Stewart, who is Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, plans to retire (again) at the end of December. Late last week, Secretary of Defense Esper accepted his resignation and released the following statement, which also announces that Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew P. Donovan will be Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness following Mr. Stewart's departure.
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Statement by Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper:
"Today, I accepted the resignation of Jimmy Stewart, who has been performing the duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Jimmy, who was confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs in October 2018, has been filling the Under Secretary role since then, a role that is critical to the National Defense Strategy, in support of our families and readiness. I note that Jimmy came out of retirement, after having served 37 years in the Air Force, to serve his country again. It's people like Jimmy, the selfless individuals who put service before self, who are the backbone of this country. I thank Jimmy and his family for their service to the department and the Nation, and wish him the best in his retirement.
Matthew P. Donovan will be Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, having served as the Under Secretary of the Air Force."
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2) You also may have seen in news reports in early November and again following last weekend's Army/Navy game, that there is a policy change regarding Military Academy graduates wishing to participate in professional sports. This policy change has now been formally published as Directive-type Memorandum (DTM)-019-011, which may be found online at this link:
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dtm/XDTM%20P19-X01 1.PDF?ver=2019-12-13-150830-960
Note that this DTM serves to implement the President's direction on this policy, which was ordered via the June 26, 2019, Presidential Memorandum found at this link:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/memorandum-policy-military-s ervice-academy-reserve-officers-training-corps-graduates-seeking-participate -professional-sports/
Many thanks to all, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. All my best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season.
David David L. Nokes Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs/Community Engagement The Pentagon