Defense and national security

Executive Order 13000: Order of Succession of Officers to Act as Secretary of Defense

President: Bill Clinton

Established an updated order for Defense officials to act as Secretary when the Secretary and Deputy Secretary were unavailable.

Status: Revoked.

Is Executive Order 13000 still in effect? No. Revoked and replaced by EO 13394 in 2005.

What does Executive Order 13000 do?

EO 13000 set a detailed temporary succession sequence for the Secretary of Defense. After the Deputy Secretary, it placed the Army, Navy and Air Force Secretaries ahead of specified under secretaries. A person holding a listed post only in an acting capacity could not advance under this order, and an acting Secretary’s temporary service did not vacate that person’s regular office. EO 13394 expressly revoked EO 13000 in 2005 and supplied a replacement sequence; today’s vacancies law and later orders must be consulted for any current appointment.

SignedApril 24, 1996
First successorDeputy Secretary of Defense
PredecessorEO 12787

Before and after

Before the order

EO 12787 contained the prior Defense succession sequence.

After the order

The 1996 sequence governed contingencies until a 2005 replacement.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Eligible Defense officersAct as Secretary in the prescribed orderDuring qualifying vacancies or unavailability

What happened next

EO 13000 established the sequence and revoked EO 12787.

EO 13394 revoked and replaced the 1996 sequence.