Vipin Narang, principal deputy assistant secretary for space policy at the Department of Defense, will take on the role of acting assistant secretary of defense for space policy on Monday, May 20.
Amanda Dory, acting undersecretary of defense for policy, said in a release published Friday Narang will replace John Plumb, who was confirmed as the first assistant secretary of defense for space policy in March 2022.
In his role as principal deputy assistant secretary, Narang oversees a portfolio that includes space, cyber, missile defense, nuclear and policy focused on countering weapons of mass destruction. He also serves as the principal cyber adviser to the secretary of defense.
He is on public service leave from MIT, where he serves as the Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security and Political Science.
Dory acknowledged and thanked Plumb’s contributions to DOD, including his role in managing the department’s strategic capabilities for integrated deterrence, overseeing the cyber policy portfolio, advancing space security and implementing the commercial space integration policy.
