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Laura D. Taylor-Kale

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Laura D. Taylor-Kale
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 3, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
BornIllinois, United States
EducationSmith College (BA)
Princeton University (MPA)
New York University (MBA)
Stanford University (PhD)[1]

Laura D. Taylor-Kale (pronounced KAH-Lay) (born July 10, 1977) is an American foreign policy and economic advisor. She is the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy.[2][3]

Taylor-Kale is the first-ever Senate-confirmed person in this role.[4][5]

Early life

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Taylor-Kale was born and raised in Illinois to an African American mother and a Cameroonian immigrant father.[6]

Career

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Taylor-Kale has worked in countries including India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon.[7] From 2003 to 2012, Taylor-Kale was a career Foreign Service officer in the United States Department of State, where she served in India, Côte d’Ivoire, Afghanistan, the Executive Board of the World Bank and International Finance Corporation, and the Department of State Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.[8] From 2012-2014, she was the special assistant to the vice president for sustainable development at the World Bank.[9][10]

In 2014, Taylor-Kale joined the Obama administration at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation as the senior advisor to the President and CEO for policy and operations.[11][12] From 2016 to 2017, Taylor-Kale served as the deputy assistant secretary of commerce for manufacturing at the International Trade Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce.[13][14]

From 2021-2023, Taylor-Kale was the Fellow for Innovation and Economic Competitiveness at the Council on Foreign Relations, where her research focuses on U.S. innovation policy, industrial policy, the future of work. She contributes to the Council's Renewing America Initiative.[15] She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[6][16]

Biden administration nomination

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On May 26, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Taylor-Kale to be the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy.[2][17] Hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate Armed Services Committee on July 28, 2022.[18] During that hearing, Senator Dan Sullivan announced he would be placing a hold on Taylor-Kale's nomination due to a disagreement with the Biden administration over a mining project in his home state of Alaska.[19] The Senate Armed Services Committee approved Taylor-Kale's nomination in September 2022.[20][21][22] In December 2022, Sullivan said he considered her qualified for the job but continued to block the full Senate vote.[23][24] Taylor-Kale's nomination expired at the end of the year and was returned to President Biden on January 3, 2023.[25]

President Biden re-nominated Taylor-Kale the same day.[26] The United States Senate Committee on Armed Services favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor on February 9, 2023.[27] On March 21, 2023, more than 50 former officials wrote an open letter protesting Taylor-Kale's nomination holdup.[28] On March 15, 2023, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 68–26 vote.[29] On March 30, 2023, her nomination was confirmed by a 63–27 vote.[30]

National Defense Industrial Strategy

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Taylor-Kale authored the Department of Defense's first-ever National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS),[31] a 59-page document identifying four long-term strategic priorities to modernize the defense industrial ecosystem.[32][33][34][35] On January 11, 2024, Taylor-Kale announced its release.[36][37][38]

On July 3, 2024, Taylor-Kale announced the publication of the NDIS Interim Implementation Report, detailing the actions taken to achieve the priorities outlined in the NDIS. [39][40][41]

References

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  1. ^ Kanou, Rachèle (June 17, 2022). "Distiction Féminine : Qui Est Laura Taylor-Kale La Femme Nommée Secrétaire Adjoint À La Défense Americaine ?". Griote TV (in French). Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  2. ^ a b "President Biden Announces Key Nominees". The White House. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Senate confirms Taylor-Kale for DOD industrial policy post | InsideDefense.com". insidedefense.com. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  4. ^ ""Laura Taylor-Kale sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy"". Stanford Engineering: Management Science and Engineering. 1 August 2023.
  5. ^ ""Dr. Laura D. Taylor-Kale, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy"". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b Street, Rachel (17 January 2023). "Laura Taylor-Kale: We have to build organizations that embrace complex problems as both challenges and opportunities". Stanford Engineering: Management Science and Engineering. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Speaker biographies - ICAP 2011 Mid Year Reunion". International Career Advancement Program. 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  8. ^ "CFR's Laura D Taylor-Kale Nominated As Assistant Secretary Of Defense For Industrial Base Policy". Homeland Security Today. May 14, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  9. ^ "October 2012 Newsletter". Thursday Luncheon Group. 2012. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  10. ^ "ICRISAT Happenings - In-House Newsletter". International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  11. ^ Mehta, Aaron (May 26, 2022). "Laura Taylor-Kale Officially Nominated As DOD Industrial Policy Chief". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  12. ^ "Accessing the U.S. Government Power Africa 'Tool Box'" (PDF). The Corporate Council on Africa. 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Quality Group unveils new projects at US meet". Gulf Times. May 7, 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  14. ^ Gould, Joe (2022-05-13). "Biden nominates defense industrial policy chief". Defense News. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  15. ^ "CFR Welcomes Laura Taylor-Kale as Fellow for Innovation and Economic Competitiveness". Council on Foreign Relations. October 5, 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Pentagon industrial base official to speak at Showcase for Commerce Defense Expo in Johnstown". Tribune-Democrat. October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  17. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  18. ^ Lopez, C. Todd (July 28, 2022). "4 Nominees for Positions Within DOD Testify Before Senate". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  19. ^ Harris, Bryant (8 August 2022). "Dozen Pentagon nominees stalled as Senate leaves for August recess". Defense News. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  20. ^ Peniston, Bradley (January 26, 2023). "Left in Limbo, a Handful of Biden's Defense Picks Await Senate Action". Defense One. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  21. ^ Gould, Joe; Shane III, Leo (2022-12-09). "Time running out for Pentagon nominees". Defense News. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  22. ^ Harris, Bryant (2022-09-21). "Senate to move Pentagon acquisition and industrial base nominees amid critical minerals row". Defense News. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  23. ^ Rogerson, Riley (December 21, 2022). "Sen. Sullivan blocks Pentagon nominee, demanding action from Biden administration on Ambler Road". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  24. ^ O’Brien, Connor (November 11, 2022). "'Two-minute drill': Time is running out to break the Pentagon's nominee logjam, Senate Dems say". Politico. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  25. ^ "PN2199 — Laura Taylor-Kale — Department of Defense 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  26. ^ Gould, Joe; Harris, Bryant (2023-01-05). "Senate makes headway on Pentagon nominees after Hawley's TikTok deal". Defense News. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  27. ^ "PN2 — Laura Taylor-Kale — Department of Defense 118th Congress (2023-2024)". US Congress. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  28. ^ Berg, Matt. "National Security Daily". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  29. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Laura Taylor-Kale to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense)". US Senate. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  30. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Laura Taylor-Kale, of California, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense)". US Senate. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  31. ^ Nakamura, Ryo (February 27, 2024). "U.S. seeks closer defense supply chain ties with Japan, India: official". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  32. ^ ""National Defense Industrial Strategy"" (PDF). Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  33. ^ ""Fact Sheet: National Defense Industrial Strategy"" (PDF). U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  34. ^ Leggieri, Becky (26 January 2024). ""Pentagon Releases 'First Ever' National Defense Industrial Strategy"". Federal Budget IQ.
  35. ^ Levantovscaia, Kathryn (14 February 2024). ""Reading between the lines of the new US National Defense Industrial Strategy"". Atlantic Council.
  36. ^ ""DOD Releases First-Ever National Defense Industrial Strategy"". U.S. Department of Defense. 11 January 2024.
  37. ^ ""Transcript, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy Dr. Laura D. Taylor-Kale and (Acting) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy Halimah Najieb-Locke, Holding an Off-Camera, On-The-Record Press Briefing on the National Defense Industrial Strategy"". U.S. Department of Defense. 11 January 2024.
  38. ^ ""The National Defense Industrial Strategy: The Way Ahead"". Center for Strategic and International Studies. 11 January 2024.
  39. ^ ""DOD Releases National Defense Industrial Strategy Interim Implementation Report"". U.S. Department of Defense. 3 July 2024.
  40. ^ Edwards, Jane (8 July 2024). ""Pentagon Issues Interim Report on Implementation of National Defense Industrial Strategy; Laura Taylor-Kale Quoted"". ExecutiveGov.com.
  41. ^ Perez, Lizbethj (5 July 2024). ""DoD Rolls Out Interim Implementation Report on NDIS"". MeriTalk.com.
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