Ms. Erica H. Plath, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Logistics and serves as the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of War for Sustainment. In this position, she is responsible for the Department’s logistics strategy and policy, supply, storage and distribution, property and equipment, transportation, and program support.

Prior to this assignment, Ms. Plath served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Sustainment. She was the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition on all matters related to the planning, budgeting and execution of sustainment and supply chain activities of the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps.

Ms. Plath was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in August 2018. In her first executive role, she served as the Director, Strategic Mobility and Combat Logistics Division (OPNAV N42) in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations from August 2018 to November 2021. In this capacity, she supported the development, integration and resourcing of a roughly $3 billion annual portfolio for Navy’s combat logistics, maritime prepositioning, and strategic sealift ships. She began federal civilian service in 2011 at Naval Sea Systems Command within the Surface Warfare Directorate.

Ms. Plath graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering and was commissioned as an Ensign, United States Navy in May 2001. Following commissioning, she served as a Surface Warfare Officer in USS PORTER (DDG 78), USS COWPENS (CG 63) and the Navy Operations Center at the Pentagon. Ms. Plath left active duty as a Lieutenant in December 2007.

Ms. Plath's awards include the Navy’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award, Navy Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy Achievement Medal (two awards), Meritorious Unit Commendation, and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service medals.

Jeremy D. Verbout Performs the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of War for Mission Capabilities (ASW MC) within the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering. In this capacity, he directs the organization responsible for accelerating the development and integration of advanced technology to ensure the United States maintains its technological superiority. His responsibilities include identifying, incubating, and transitioning technologies, systems, and system of systems that close time-critical gaps in high priority, multi-component missions. He is focused on reducing technical risks, gaining 
Warfighter feedback about equipment to better inform operational requirements, and ensuring new capabilities meet mission needs, and are transitioned to operators in a timely and affordable 
manner. He drives an enterprise-wide effort to solve the Joint Force's most critical operational problems, overseeing mission engineering, system-of-systems analysis, and cross-enterprise synchronization to deliver evidence-based, combat-credible capabilities to the warfighter. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Verbout served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for the Mission Engineering and Integration Activity (DASW MEIA). He was instrumental in establishing and leading the MEIA, the Department’s enterprise framework for delivering capability at speed. In that role, he directed the core activities of mission engineering, industry engagement, and rapid experimentation to compress decision timelines, shorten development cycles, and accelerate the operational integration of technologies that yield overwhelming combat power for the Joint Force. 

Prior to assuming these responsibilities, Mr. Verbout supported the Office of the Secretary of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office (OSD SCO) as the senior Science Engineering and Technology advisor. In this capacity, he helped design and operationalize the Department’s 
leading multi-cloud, multi-classification hybrid network architecture, advancing secure data transport, cloud-edge compute, and resilient operational connectivity for Joint users. His work 
included enabling cloud infrastructure for Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) and OSD SCO, fielding novel transport capabilities in the PACOM theater, and integrating Zero Trust architectures supporting emerging Joint mission needs. 

Previously, Mr. Verbout served as the Deputy Program Manager for Experimentation at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he directed development of the multi-level security Assault Breaker II experimentation architecture integrating live, virtual, and constructive environments to evaluate advanced sensing and long-range strike concepts. His efforts informed Department-wide technology maturation and prototype transition decisions. 
A retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Mr. Verbout held multiple operational and headquarters leadership positions, including Commander Air Staff, Director of Operations for the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron, and U-2 Program Manager at Headquarters Air Force. As a Senior 
Pilot and Navigator, he accumulated more than 3,700 flight hours and 1,100 combat hours across the U-2, F-15E, RC-135, T-38, and T-37. He flew combat missions in Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Inherent Resolve, executed Sensitive Reconnaissance Operations 
missions globally. 

He holds a Master of Science in Aerospace Operations and Human Factors from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Bachelor of Science in Air Transportation from the University of North Dakota.