Hon. Jules W. Hurst III
Hon. Jules W. Hurst, III serves as the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer and is the principal advisor to the Secretary of War on all budgetary and financial matters, including the development and execution of the Department’s annual budget.
Prior to assuming his current role, Hon. Hurst served as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. He previously performed the duties of Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness, where he advised the Secretary of War on military and civilian personnel policy, reserve integration, military community and family policy, and total force manpower. He also previously performed the duties of Under Secretary of War (Comptroller)/CFO.
Before returning to the Department, Hon. Hurst served as Legislative Director and Defense Advisor to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (LA-04), overseeing policy in the Speaker’s personal office and advising him on defense matters.
Hon. Hurst’s military and civilian career include assignments on the Army Staff, with the Joint Special Operations Command Intelligence Brigade, the 75th Ranger Regiment, and U.S. Central Command. He deployed to Afghanistan four times as a senior intelligence officer supporting a Joint Special Operations Task Force. He also supported the initial stand-up of Project Maven, the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team. He continues to serve in the Army Reserve as an FA59 Army Strategist.
Hon. Hurst holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, an M.A. in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University, and a B.A. in Public Policy from the College of William & Mary. He has published widely on great power competition, autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, and the future of warfare in outlets including War on the Rocks and Joint Force Quarterly.