Alan F. Estevez has been sworn in as assistant secretary of defense (logistics and materiel readiness), becoming the first career federal government official to hold what is one of the military's top logistics posts.

Estevez was sworn in Aug. 8, six days after the Senate confirmed his nomination. In his new role, he will manage logistics policy and processes to support war-fighter operations in various military theaters, and help oversee the Pentagon's $190 billion-a-year logistics budget.

In March, President Obama announced that he had tapped Estevez as his nominee for the position. Historically, an outsider from the private sector has held the job.

Estevez had been principal deputy assistant secretary of defense (logistics & materiel readiness). In that role, he was responsible for ensuring open supply lines to U.S. military and civilian support anywhere in the world. He also helped coordinate the logistics behind the military's drawdown in Iraq and buildup in Afghanistan.

Estevez was named by DC Velocity as one of its 2004 "Rainmakers" and was also profiled as a "Thought Leader" in the magazine's August 2010 edition.