Marine chosen as senior enlisted adviser for reserve affairs

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By Michelle Tan
Staff writer

A Marine Corps Reserve sergeant major has been selected to serve as the next senior enlisted adviser to the assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, the Defense Department announced Thursday.

Sgt. Maj. Joseph A. Staudt replaces Army Reserve Command Sgt. Maj. Lawrence W. Holland, who will retire in November.

Staudt is the first senior enlisted Marine to serve in this position, and he’ll be the principal enlisted adviser to the assistant secretary of defense for all seven of the military’s reserve components, according to the DoD announcement.

Staudt recently served in Iraq. He’s currently the headquarters Marine Corps reserve affairs sergeant major at Quantico, Va. He enlisted in 1977 and has served in the active and reserve components of the Marine Corps. He has civilian experience in masonry and construction, and he has owned and operated his own business.

The office of the assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs provides advice to the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness and to the secretary and deputy secretary of defense for reserve component matters in the DoD.