Upon leaving the post of Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisitions) in 2005, Young became Director of Defense Research and Engineering for the United States Department of Defense. In addition to his duties as DDR&E, he successfully managed a task force that expanded the use of biometric systems to improve the security of U.S. forces and neighborhoods in Iraq. Defense Secretary Robert Gates then asked Young to lead a task for to expedite the production of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. Under his leadership, DoD ramped up production to over 1,000 MRAPs per month, delivering over 14,000 MRAPs in roughly 18 months. These vehicles saved the lives of many soldiers from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), becoming one of the hallmarks of Secretary Gates’ tenure. In 2007, President Bush nominated Young as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics and, after confirmation by the United States Senate on October 4, 2007, Young took up this post in November 2007. As Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Young was responsible for providing United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon R. England with advice on all Department of Defense procurements, acquisitions, technological issues, and logistics. Notable work as AT&L included endorsing a remarkable swap of DDG-1000 and DDG-51 shipbuilding contracts between two industry teams and implementing new acquisition practices, management approaches and requirements reviews. He left this post in 2009 and founded JY Strategies, LLC, where he specializes in providing strategic insight to firms on defense programs, the Department of Defense, the Congressional authorization and appropriations process and change management. In addition to his work with JY Strategies, Young was VP of Business Development for E6 Partners, working with former Deputy Secretary of Defense, Gordon England. Young is a Board Member for SRI International.; Saab-Sensis (Outside Board Director/SSA); Tenax Aerospace; HDT Global; Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and Georgia Tech Research Corporation (2010-2015).Young is an Advisory Board member for Cubic Defense Applications. He is a Board of Regents Member and Senior Fellow for the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.
