Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
Mr. Michael A. Cogar is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy, a role he assumed on May 19, 2025. In this capacity, he oversees the development and implementation of civilian workforce plans, policies, and programs impacting over 945,000 Department of Defense employees worldwide. His responsibilities span the Human Capital Lifecycle—civilian compensation and benefits, labor employee relations, senior executive development, Equal Employment Opportunity and Civilian Anti-Harassment, talent acquisition, development, sustainment, performance management, strategic workforce planning, and civilian leader development—optimizing civilian capabilities to enhance operational lethality. Mr. Cogar’s skillset lends itself to the development of merit-based workforce strategies to align civilian talent with mission-critical needs and streamline Human Resources policy and procedures to increase readiness, ensuring a lean, high-performing workforce to support the Warfighter.
Prior to this appointment, Mr. Cogar served as the Strategic Communications Lead and Change Management Deputy at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he played an essential role in the U.S. Army’s Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army (IPPS-A) deployment, a transformative human capital modernization effort for 1.1 million soldiers. He crafted and executed comprehensive communication and change management strategies to facilitate the transition to a digital human resource system, leading a cross-functional team to align workforce policies, enhance stakeholder engagement, and drive adoption across the Total Force.
As Acting Deputy Director of Communications at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), he managed communications for 2.4 million federal civil servants, shaped workforce policy messaging, and led crisis management strategies during the national “Opening up America Again” initiative. A U.S. Army veteran, Mr. Cogar served as a Non-Commissioned Officer with two tours in Iraq, earning a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for his leadership and service.
Mr. Cogar holds a B.S. in Political Science from Old Dominion University. He is a certified Change Management Advanced Practitioner (CMAP) through Georgetown University and a Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute.