U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The Pentagon created the Business Operators for National Defense program in February to embed private sector talent within the department's acquisition process. Warren sent the letter as the Trump administration continues to blend the private sector and government in often unprecedented ways — including by taking equity stakes in companies producing goods essential to the national interest. 2 in the Pentagon, Feinberg was co-CEO of Cerberus Capital Management, and Lorch was a managing director. Pictures in a hallway of the Pentagon, show US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (L) described as the Secretary of War and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg as Deputy Secretary of War in Washington, DC, on Sept. 9, 2025.