President Donald Trump’s pick for the Pentagon’s second-highest acquisition post seems to be a Navy Reserve intelligence officer who lacks extensive experience overseeing weapons procurement or military equipment maintenance.
In April, Trump selected Matt O’Malley to take on the role of deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment — a position that oversees hundreds of billions of dollars and military assets across every continent. Should the Senate confirm him, he would play a pivotal role in procurement decisions as the Defense Department pushes forward with modernization efforts spanning nuclear weapons to IT systems, all in preparation for a potential confrontation with China.
On Thursday, O’Malley will face his first public scrutiny over how he would manage these duties. The Senate Armed Services Committee will evaluate him alongside three other candidates for senior defense roles during a Capitol Hill hearing.
Representatives from the White House, the Department of Defense, and the Senate Armed Services Committee did not reply to emailed inquiries regarding O’Malley’s nomination on Wednesday.
Prior to his nomination hearing, O’Malley held at least one meeting with a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) shared a photo alongside the nominee on social media earlier this month, pointing out that their conversation followed a trip by Michael Duffey — the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer — to North Dakota the week before.
“This role is instrumental in transforming the Pentagon’s acquisition framework, bringing new players into the defense industrial base, and speeding up the delivery of advanced capabilities to our troops,” Cramer stated. A representative for Cramer did not answer questions about the visit by the time of publication.
While limited, O’Malley’s online presence offers some insight into what he could contribute to the DoD’s acquisition apparatus during a significant overhaul designed to get new technology into the hands of service members more quickly. On LinkedIn, he portrays himself as a “results-oriented leader … skilled at guiding cross-functional teams, streamlining enterprise systems, and turning data-driven strategies into practical insights.”
O’Malley spent nearly 11 years as chief operating officer at Looking Glass Investments, a Milwaukee-based lending firm that leverages predictive analytics to “identify top-tier investment opportunities,” as described on LinkedIn.
The company transferred its assets to ARCSys Technologies, a financial technology firm, in March, according to O’Malley’s federal ethics disclosure submitted on May 1. He continues to hold an equity stake in Looking Glass, which owns 1% of ARCSys, and indicated he would step down from his position at the investment firm.
O’Malley has acknowledged he will recuse himself from any matters directly tied to his financial interests in the financial and accounting software sector. He did not reply to an emailed request for comment.
Most recently, the nominee worked in clinical informatics — the discipline of managing data within healthcare environments — at the Department of Veterans Affairs, but left the role after roughly one year in June 2025, per LinkedIn.
His other positions include serving as an executive officer at U.S. Special Operations Command in Iraq; a procurement manager at a media company based in Milwaukee; a financial analyst at Lockheed Martin; and the Air Force comptroller’s director of strategic initiatives. According to LinkedIn, O’Malley has been a member of the Navy Reserve since 2002.
In 2024, O’Malley publicly backed Trump‘s reelection bid through an open letter — signed by scores of former national security and foreign policy officials, Gold Star family members, and others — that was published online by conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt.
Also scheduled to appear before the committee on Thursday is Jay Hurst, who has been serving as the Pentagon’s acting comptroller since August. Hurst is an Army Reservist and previously served as legislative director for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.); he has also filled in as assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs, as well as undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
Roger Mason, a space industry executive and former assistant director of national intelligence during the Obama administration, has been selected to lead the National Reconnaissance Office. He would step down from his role as chief growth officer at V2X to head the covert intelligence agency that partners closely with the Space Force to develop and operate surveillance satellites.
And Erich Hernandez-Baquero, Raytheon’s vice president for space intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, has been nominated to become the Air Force’s top space acquisition executive. He would be only the second person to occupy the position since its inception, overseeing an enormous portfolio of largely classified satellites, radar systems, and sensors that link the military services and supply targeting and intelligence information.
The hearing represents progress toward staffing a wide array of national security roles that have gone without Senate-confirmed officials for more than a year into Trump’s second term.
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