Mr. Judson Crane

Mr. Crane is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Readiness. In this role, he serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense for strategic and operational readiness of the Armed Services. Mr. Crane brings nearly two decades of experience leading teams to provide decision support for National and Department of Defense leaders on critical national security and military challenges.

Most recently, he served as a senior advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness who is the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense and Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness for all matters related to the readiness of the Total Force.

A lifelong public servant, Mr. Crane previously led research teams supporting policy development at the Defense Business Board, Defense Innovation Board, and the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. At the Commission, he led the first review in 40 years of national mobilization and the Selective Service System.

Prior to working at the Commission, Mr. Crane served as an Intelligence Officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), leading teams of strategic and military capability analysts focused on regional security in Asia. While at DIA, he served as the daily briefer to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia and was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan.

Mr. Crane is the recipient of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service and multiple Joint Civilian Service Commendation medals, among other awards. He holds a Master of International Public Policy in Strategic Studies from the Johns Hopkins University – Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He lives in Arlington, Virginia with his wife and two young kids. Mr. Crane also serves on the Johns Hopkins SAIS Board of Advisors.