James “Hondo” Geurts

Advisory Board

Mr. Geurts, known to most as Hondo, most recently performed the duties of Under Secretary of the Navy, a position he was appointed to on February 4, 2021. In this role, he served as the Department of the Navy’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Management Officer.

He previously served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition from 2017-2021. As the Navy’s acquisition executive, he oversaw an annual budget of $148 billion consisting of research, development, acquisition, production, contracting and sustainment for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines Corps, and Allies and Partners.

Prior to his Naval Service, Mr. Geurts had over three decades of experience with USSOCOM and the United States Air Force, where he served in all levels of acquisition leadership positions including Acquisition Executive, Program Executive Officer, Program Manager of Major Defense Acquisition Programs, and Chief Engineer.

Mr. Geurts received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh University, where he was a distinguished 1987 ROTC graduate. He also obtained a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, and in National Security Resourcing from Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Washington, D.C. Mr. Geurts has also attended executive leadership and international studies programs at Harvard Kennedy School and George Washington Elliot School.