Mr. Drew Walter is the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biological Defense Policy and Programs (PDASW (ND-CBD)). In this capacity, Mr. Walter supports the Assistant Secretary of War as the principal advisor to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Undersecretary of War for Policy, and Undersecretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment on nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, chemical and biological defense programs, chemical demilitarization, and treaty management. He holds leadership, management, and advisory responsibility for the following offices: Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense; Nuclear Matters; Defense Threat Reduction Agency; and Nuclear Deterrence and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy.

Previously, Mr. Walter served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Nuclear Matters (DASW(NM)). In this role, he was responsible for carrying out the Office of Nuclear Matters’ mission to “ensure the continued credibility, safety, security, resiliency, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent to deter adversaries, assure allies and partners, and achieve U.S. objectives if deterrence fails—today and in the future.” Before being assigned as DASW(NM), Mr. Walter served as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, where he supported efforts to integrate activities across the Department of War related to nuclear deterrent modernization and sustainment. Mr. Walter joined the Department in 2018 as Principal Director and Senior Advisor in the Office of Nuclear Matters.

Prior to joining the Department of War, Mr. Walter served as a professional staff member with the Committee on Armed Services in the U.S. House of Representatives. In this role, he was responsible for executing committee activities and oversight regarding all policies, programs, and budgets related to nuclear deterrence, nuclear nonproliferation, naval nuclear propulsion, and nuclear environmental cleanup. These responsibilities included oversight and authorization of over $30 billion in annual funding within the Department of War and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

Mr. Walter began his career at Sandia National Laboratories, where he was a Senior Member of the Technical Staff. His responsibilities at Sandia included conducting physical security assessments for U.S. nuclear weapons, developing and analyzing new security technologies and security assessment methodologies, and conducting special studies for laboratory executives.

Mr. Walter holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology.