WhoRunsGov

Michael B. Donley

Secretary, U.S. Air Force (since October 2008)

(U.S. Air Force)

Why He Matters

In summer 2008, when Defense Secretary Robert Gates went searching for a new Air Force secretary, he wanted an expert in managing complex U.S. military bureaucracies. Gates did not have to look far. His search led him to Donley, then the Pentagon's director of administration and management.

Donley clearly impressed Gates in that job,for which he initially was selected by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He also made an impression on Gates during his five months as Air Force secretary as the Bush administration gave way to the Obama administration. So much so, in fact, that Donley was among a short list of senior defense officials installed under Bush whom Gates asked to stay on under President Barack Obama.

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Corrections?
 

At a Glance

  • Career History: Director of Administration and Management (2005 - 2008); Senior Vice President at Hicks and Associates, Inc., a subsidiary of Science Applications International Corporation (1996-2005); Senior Fellow at the Institute for Defense Analyses (1993-1996); Office of the Secretary of Defense Acting Secretary of the Air Force (1993 - 1996); Professional Staff Member, Senate Armed Services Committee (1981 -1984)
  • Alma Mater: U.S. Army Intelligence School, 1972; U.S. Army Intelligence School, 1973; Defense Language Institute, 1974; U.S. Army Airborne School, 1977; B.A. in international relations, University of Southern California; master in international relations, 1978, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Senior Executives in National Security program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 1986
  • Spouse: Gail
 

Path to Power

Donley completed his undergraduate work at the University of Southern California in 1977, picking up his B.A. in international relations. He liked the reputable institution and subject matter so much he stuck around for one more year and earned a master's in the same field. His studies as a Trojan followed a three-year tour in the Army, where he served in the XVIIIth Airborne Corps and 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). During that time, Donley studied at both the Army's intelligence and airborne schools, and also at the Defense Language Institute.

Three years after completing his USC studies, Donley launched his Washington career as a professional staff member with the Senate Armed Services Committee, a position he held until 1984 when he joined Ronald Reagan's National Security Council staff. Donley worked under two presidents and five national security advisers during his five-year NSC stint, according to his official Air Force biography. To say those were five eventful years for his career is an understatement.

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The Issues

Raptor Rumble

Perhaps no Air Force-related issue is more pervasive in the U.S. defense sector as the sometimes-fiery debate about how many F-22 fighters are needed by the military. In April 2009, Gates announced more than 50 program cuts to specific programs to be included in the Pentagon's 2010 budget plan. Included on that list was Gates' proposal to cap F-22 production at 187 jets.

Days after the Gates announcement, Schwartz and Donley sent ripples through the defense community when the duo penned a Washington Post op-ed in which they endorsed Gates' decision and explained the rationale for halting theF-22 program. "Purchasing an additional 60 aircraft to get to a total number of 243 would create an unfunded $13 billion bill just as defense budgets are becoming more constrained," Donley and Schwartz wrote. "This decision has increasingly become a zero-sum game. Within a fixed Air Force and overall Defense Department budget, our challenge is to decide among many competing needs. Buying more Lockheed Martin-made F-22s means doing less of something else."

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The Network

Donley has spent his entire professional career in the corridors of Capitol Hill office buildings and the Pentagon, along with a few stints in the conference rooms of the private sector. He has worked closely with presidents, senators, national security advisers and senior Pentagon and State Department officials. Donley worked under defense secretaries Gates and Richard Cheney, as well as for national security advisors Robert McFarlane, John Poindexter, Frank Carlucci, Colin Powell and Brent Scowcroft. He is plugged into the Republican national security power base.

His network of current officials includes Gates, Schwartz and a slew of other Pentagon officials, including the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Adm. Michael Mullen, the Joint Chiefs chairman; and Amy Secretary Pete Geren, also a holdover from the Bush administration.

 

Campaign Contributions

Donley made no political contributions between 1990 and the 2008 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

 

Additional Resources

  1. Gray, Andrew, "Air Force Plans Nuclear Command After Blunders," Reuters
  2. Donley, Michael and Schwartz, Norton, The Washington Post
  3. Bennett, John T. and Osborn, Kris, Defense News
  4. U.S. Air Force official biography,
  5. Cole, August, The Wall Street Journal
  6. Bennett, John T., Defense News, "Gates: Splitting Tanker Would Add $14 Billion More"