Pentagon announces new Defense Policy Board members after disbanding Biden-era panel

WASHINGTON, DC: The Department of War has established a new Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee, naming Ambassador Robert Lighthizer as chair and former Senator Norm Coleman as vice chair, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed all members of the Pentagon's advisory boards last year.

The board, one of the Pentagon's key advisory committees, is tasked with providing "recommendations on matters concerning defense policy and national security issues" to the secretary, deputy secretary, and undersecretary for policy. Lighthizer previously served as US trade representative during the first Trump administration.

Hegseth had dismissed all advisory board members in 2025

In a memo in April 2025, Hegseth dismissed the previous members of the Pentagon’s dozens of advisory committees following a 45-day review led by his then-chief of staff, Joe Kasper.

As part of the review, each board had to explain how its advice had “benefited the DoD, the federal government and the United States,” and how it aligned with President Trump’s aim of “restoring the warrior ethos.”

A notice in the Federal Register says the board was formally reestablished in August 2025, with a press release Monday announcing a new slate of members.

New board includes veterans, academics and former officials

In addition to Lighthizer and Coleman, Hegseth approved 13 other appointees spanning military veterans, former lawmakers, entrepreneurs, professors, security contractors and attorneys.

The list includes Marc Andreessen, the venture capitalist and Trump super PAC donor; Michael Anton, a former National Security Council and State Department official under Trump; and Blake Masters, former chief operating officer of Peter Thiel's investment firm and a past Senate and House candidate.

Other members include former Rep Mike Garcia of California, a Navy combat pilot who flew more than 30 missions in Iraq; retired Adm. Charles "Chas" Richard, former commander of US Strategic Command; and Michael Pillsbury, a longtime China policy adviser who chaired the board during Trump's first term.

The roster also includes attorney Theo Wold, a former Acting Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy; policy specialists Rachel Bovard and Tom Feddo; academics Daniel McCarthy, Francis Sempa and Kenneth Jones; and Christopher Williams, another former board chairman who has held senior Pentagon policy roles.

The board's restructuring is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to overhaul the Defense Department's network of advisory committees since taking office, with officials saying the goal is to ensure outside guidance to Pentagon leadership reflects the administration's national security priorities.