Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday announced 15 members of a revived Defense Policy Board, tapping former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to chair the panel and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen to serve on it.
The board is an advisory committee that provides recommendations to the defense secretary, the deputy defense secretary, and the Pentagon’s policy chief on regional defense policy, strategic planning, and force structure and modernization. It was established in 1985.
Lighthizer served as U.S. Trade Representative during President Trump’s first term, overseeing negotiations on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and trade disputes with China. Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) will serve as vice chair.
Andreessen is general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm whose portfolio includes OpenAI, SpaceX, Skydio, Hadrian, and Anduril. Each of those companies holds contracts with the Department of War.
Other members named to the board include Blake Masters, a former Arizona Republican Senate candidate, and Michael Anton, who served as director of policy planning at the State Department during Trump’s first term.
Hegseth cleared out all members of the previous Defense Policy Board in April 2025, citing an internal review and a need to align the panel with the administration’s strategic direction and policy priorities. The Pentagon formally reestablished the board in August 2025 through a Federal Register notice.
The announcement came as Hegseth has worked to reshape the military bureaucracy and advisory structures inherited from the Biden administration. The reconstituted panel reflects a roster of figures with direct ties to the Trump orbit, including trade policy, tech investment, and electoral politics.
