Vice Admiral William E. “Bill” Landay III of the U.S. Navy has served as director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) since August 2010. The DSCA oversees the sale of arms, defense technologies, training and other services to foreign governments, which has put it in the awkward position of trying to increase profits for U.S. weapons makers even if some of the regimes are less than democratic.

 

Landay holds a Bachelor of Science degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy (1978). He also has a Master of Science degree in systems technology (C4I) from the Naval Postgraduate School, and is a graduate of the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School. Also, Landay was the 1998-1999 Navy Fellow in the Defense Systems Management College, Military Research Fellowship Program. He is a level three certified acquisition professional and a proven subspecialist in C4I Systems.

 

His first naval assignment was as gunnery assistant and combat information center officer aboard the USS Hepburn. Subsequent sea tours included ship control officer aboard the USS Nicholas, commanding officer of the USS Aquila and commanding officer of the USS Paul Hamilton.

 

Ashore, Landay has served as a team training instructor and Harpoon course director at Fleet Combat Training Center, Pacific; and C4I program officer and executive assistant to the director of Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems at the U.S. Transportation Command. His acquisition tours included assignment as surface, strike and underwater warfare manager and fleet support officer in the Aegis Program Office; executive assistant to the commander of Naval Sea Systems Command; major program manager for fleet and lifetime support in the Program Executive Office for Theater Surface Combatants; and executive assistant and naval aide to John Young, the assistant secretary of the navy for research, development and acquisition.

 

In his first assignment as a flag officer, on February 27, 2004, Landay took over as the program executive officer for littoral and mine warfare.

 

In 2006, he became the 21st Chief of Naval Research. In January 2008, he also assumed the duties of the deputy commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps for science and technology and director of test and evaluation and technology requirements.

 

From August 2008 until taking over the leadership of DSCA, Landay was the program executive officer for ships, responsible for all non-nuclear shipbuilding programs.

 

He is married to Tess Landay.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Biography (Defense Security Cooperation Agency)

Biography (U.S. Navy)