Hon. Franklin Parker

Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)

U.S. Department of the Navy

Franklin R. Parker was sworn in as the 19th Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs on January 18, 2023. He is responsible for the oversight of manpower and reserve component affairs of the DON, including the full spectrum of policy and programs for military (active duty, reserve, retired), their families and the civilian workforce. Additionally, his portfolio includes the DON’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Office
of Force Resiliency; Naval Education; Manpower, Analytics and Human Resources Systems; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Board for Correction of Naval Records, Council of Review Boards, Assistant Administration Office, and DON’s lifecycle management of senior executives across the department. Mr. Parker previously held the position from January 2016-January 2017.
Before his 2023 appointment, Mr. Parker served as Senior Counsel, Intelligence Solutions, for BAE Systems’ Intelligence & Security Sector. He assumed that role in July 2019, and provided full scope legal support for the Intelligence Solutions business to ensure the business and its transactions complied with ethical, corporate and governmental directives, policies, laws and regulations. Previously, he also served as BAE’s Director and Senior Counsel,
International Trade and Compliance, for the Platforms & Services Sector. In that role, he provided overall management for Export, Import and International Compliance functions and personnel; and implemented and assessed strategic initiatives for policies and procedures to ensure compliance with all applicable U.S. laws and regulations.
Prior to joining BAE Systems, Mr. Parker served as the 17th Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs from January 2016- January 2017, prior to which he served as Chief Counsel for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD). As Chief Counsel, he was MARAD’s third-ranking official and chief legal authority, and also directed and supervised the Office of Chief Counsel, which provided legal advice and services to all MARAD programs and operations. Mr. Parker joined MARAD in 2012 following his appointment to the Department of the Navy, where he served as the Special Assistant to the General Counsel beginning in August 2009. In that role, he served as a senior legal advisor to the General Counsel and Navy Secretariat on a range of significant legal issues impacting the Department.
Prior to joining the Department of the Navy, Mr. Parker practiced law for several years at three major national law firms in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington DC. While in private practice, Mr. Parker represented a diverse range of corporate, nonprofit and municipal clients, specializing in Corporate Securities, Complex Commercial Litigation, and Government Relations. Mr. Parker is a graduate of Yale University, Stanford Law School, and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is the recipient of the Department of the Navy’s Meritorious and Distinguished Public Service Awards.

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