As the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Matthew P. Donovan serves as the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Secretary of Defense for force readiness, force management, health affairs, National Guard and Reserve component affairs, education and training, and military and civilian personnel requirements. He provides policy, guidance, and oversight for the readiness, management, and healthcare of the Department’s 4.5 million total force service members, retirees, their families, and the civilian workforce. Previously, he served as the Under Secretary of the Air Force and as the Acting Secretary of the Air Force. Before that, he was majority policy director and professional staff member on the U. S. Senate Committee on Armed Services. Donovan retired from the United States Air Force as a colonel after 31 years of enlisted and officer active duty service. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in technical management, he also earned a Master of Arts degree in management from Webster University, a Master of Arts degree in Airpower Art and Science from the USAF School of Advanced Airpower Studies, and a Master of Arts degree in Military Arts and Sciences from the Advanced Operational Art Studies Fellowship, U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies.