President Donald Trump has nominated James Caggy to serve as assistant secretary of defense for mission capabilities, as the administration moves to fill key roles in the Pentagon’s research and engineering (R&E) directorate.
The nomination was submitted to the Senate on June 30 and has been referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee for consideration, according to a notice published on Congress.gov.
“Honored to be nominated by President Trump to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Mission Capabilities,” Caggy wrote in a LinkedIn post shared over the weekend in which he emphasized a results-driven approach to the role.
Caggy said that if confirmed, he would bring a “mission first, bureaucracy last mindset” focused on collaboration and delivering the best capabilities for the Joint Force.
If confirmed, Caggy would become the first individual to officially hold the title of assistant secretary of defense for mission capabilities. The position was established in a 2023 memorandum issued by former Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks. Marcia Holmes had been performing the duties of the role in an acting capacity, according to the Defense Department.
Caggy most recently served as an advisor to the Strategic Capabilities Office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Before that he spent a decade in executive positions at Amazon Web Services, including general manager and director for secure connection services. His resume also includes about 20 years of service as a U.S. Army infantry officer in both active duty and Reserve roles.
The administration continues to fill key roles in the R&E directorate, which is led by Undersecretary of Defense for R&E Emil Michael, a former Uber executive who was confirmed by the Senate in May.
Several other nominees for senior positions in the directorate are also awaiting Senate confirmation. Last month, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a confirmation hearing for Michael Dodd, Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary of defense for critical technologies. The committee has not yet voted on his confirmation.
Trump also has nominated Joseph Jewell for assistant secretary of defense for science and technology, and James Mazol for deputy undersecretary of defense for R&E.