Eric Chewning
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Industrial Policy, Department of Defense
Appointed in October 2017, Mr. Eric Chewning currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy. In this capacity, he is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S) for analyzing the capabilities, overall health, and policies concerning the industrial base on which the Department relies for current and future warfighting capabilities and requirements. Industrial Policy is also responsible for developing the Department’s position on the business combinations and transactions, both foreign and domestic, that shape and affect national security.
Mr. Chewning has over 17 years of experience advising decision makers in military-industrial markets. Prior to his assignment with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, he was a partner with the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he worked alongside financial sponsors and corporate leaders in the global aerospace, defense, government services, and space industries.
Mr. Chewning’s analysis of foreign policy, military strategy, and the defense industrial base has been featured in a variety of national media outlets, including: American Interest, Defense News, Military Review, and War on the Rocks. A former US Army officer, he served as the tactical intelligence officer for the 1st Battalion 5th Cavalry Regiment and as a strategic intelligence officer at the National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC). He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and participated in the evacuation of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
Prior to his military service, Mr. Chewning was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley & Co. where he focused on corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions in the global industrials sector.
He received a MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia where he was recognized as a Shermet Scholar. He also earned a MA in international relations and BA with honors from the University of Chicago.