Ryan Henry, principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for policy, should be leaving the Pentagon shortly.
In keeping with the powerful role of the policy shop, Henry had made a number of signficant decisions about the Pentagon's organization and direction. For example, he led the effort to break up the Office of Force Transformation and plant its constituent parts in several different Pentagon offices. Henry played a key role in the last Quadrennial Defense Review and led the public discussion on creation of Africa Command. And, most recently, he raised questions about Air Force plans to send the F-22 to Iraq, successfuly killing the idea by voicing concerns about the perceptions of Iran's leadership should the plane be sent to the region.
Henry's job is one of the most important in the Pentagon and the Bush administration is unlikely to find anyone to fill it except on an acting basis with so little time left in the president's term.
