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= Eric Chewning = Eric Chewning is an American businessman and military veteran who currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy. He was appointed to this role in October 2017 by U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

Military Service
In the wake of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, Chewning left a career as a Wall Street investment banker to enlist in the U.S. Army. Upon completing Officer Candidate School and training as a military intelligence officer, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment in the 2nd Brigade of the U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division. He deployed to Iraq in 2004 serving as the unit’s tactical intelligence officer. During this deployment, Chewning helped to pioneer counterinsurgency tactics for conventional U.S. Army units.

Upon returning to the U.S., Chewning and Doug Ollivant co-authored an influential article in Military Review, entitled "Producing Victory: Rethinking Conventional Forces in Counterinsurgency Operations", and a 2007 follow-on article, entitled "Producing Victory: a 2007 postscript for implementation",   that articulated the need for U.S. forces to abandon sprawling forward operating bases and move into Iraqi communities. The premise of the essay was that counterinsurgency requires military units to simultaneously execute security operations, train local security forces, promote economic development, and foster political institutions. Ollivant and Chewning argued that conventional military units best operate in such an environment when partnered with indigenous security forces co-located among the target population.

The white paper, which was based on Ollivant and Chewning’s experience during combat operations in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, significantly influenced the tactical deployment of U.S. and Iraqi ground forces during the “Surge”.

In March 2010, Ollivant and Chewning published an article in The American Interest outlining the military, political, and economic actions necessary for a successful US-Iraqi relationship after the initial US troop withdrawal. The recommendations were not followed.

Business Experience
Chewning returned to the private sector in 2008, ultimately becoming a partner at the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. While at McKinsey, he worked alongside financial sponsors and corporate leaders in the global aerospace, defense, government services, and space industries. His client work focused on corporate strategy, M&A advisory, and post-merger integrations.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
In October 2017, Secretary of Defense James Mattis appointed him to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy. In this role, Chewning supported a more geoeconomic approach to DoD industrial policy, specifically in countering the macro forces working against the health of the U.S. defense industrial base.

He also testified before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives advocating for modernizing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.