Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Office of Warrior Care Policy

Mr. James Rodriguez is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Office of Warrior Care Policy (WCP), Office of the Secretary of Defense. In this role, Mr. Rodriguez serves as the principal advisor on the coordination of recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration for wounded, ill, and injured Service members across the military departments.

WCP provides DoD policy development, oversight, and performance management to support what remains a highest priority for the Department: ensuring the Nation’s wounded, ill, and injured Service members, their families, and caregivers receive the support they need for recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration.  He holds leadership or membership positions on several DoD and interagency workgroups, including the DoD Council on Homelessness, DoD/VA wounded warrior Interagency Care Coordination Committee, the Joint Executive Committee – and its Wounded, Ill, and Injured Committee – the Health Executive Committee, and the Benefits Executive Committee.

Prior to his selection as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Mr. Rodriguez was the Director for Veteran and Wounded Warrior programs and military recruitment at BAE Systems. In that capacity, he was the Corporate Liaison for the White House Joining Forces initiative, to senior military leaders, government officials, and nonprofit organizations, increasing the footprint of our Nation’s wounded, ill, and injured across all spectrums of support and employment.

Mr. Rodriguez served twenty-one years in the United States Marine Corps in numerous leadership and management positions. He deployed to more than 11 countries around the world and served in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Operation Eastern Exit – Somalia, and Operation Enduring Freedom. During his final duty assignment at Balboa Naval Hospital, he was the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Officer in Charge of the Wounded Warrior Battalion, where he was responsible for the transition, education, recovery, and rehabilitation of Service members with service-connected disabilities.

Mr. Rodriguez holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Maryland, University College and a Masters of Arts Degree in International Commerce and Policy from the George Mason University School of Public Policy.  He is a frequently cited source on wounded, ill, and injured issues in such publications as: Your Next Mission: A Personal Branding Guide for the Military-to-Civilian Transition, by Lida Citroën, the Center for a New American Security’s Employing America’s Veterans: Perspectives from Business, and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families’ Guide to Leading Policies, Practices & Resources: Supporting the Employment of Veterans & Military Families.  Mr. Rodriguez has been featured for his work with Veterans and Wounded Warriors in numerous magazines including “Military Times EDGE,” “Insight Into Diversity,” and “G.I. Jobs.”