Mr. D. Mark Peterson, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Chief Financial Officer for U.S.
Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. He is the principal financial adviser to the USSOCOM Commander and the chief spokesperson for special operations budget and execution issues totaling more than $13 billion annually. His office provides fiscal direction and guidance to the four USSOCOM component commands, a sub-unified command and seven Theater Special Operations Commands, and regularly interfaces with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the military services and Congressional staffs. During his tour at USSOCOM, he was deployed to Afghanistan where he served as the Director of Resource Management for the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan. Mr. Peterson entered the Navy in 1980 upon graduation from Virginia Tech. After receiving his officer commission, he was designated a Naval Flight Officer in the E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft. As a combat information mission commander, he deployed aboard the USS Ranger and USS Kitty Hawk. He also completed numerous squadron deployments supporting counterdrug operations for U.S. Southern Command and the Joint Task Force Commander. Early in his career, he was selected into the Joint Chiefs of Staff intern program where he served in the Plans and Programs Directorate. He was subsequently assigned to the Chief of Naval Operations staff where he was the Head of the Cryptology, Information and Electronic Warfare Branch. After completing his graduate education, Mr. Peterson served on the Chief of Naval Operations staff in various appropriation and resource sponsor assignments in the Pentagon. He completed a 20-year Navy career, retiring at the rank of commander in October 2000. Mr. Peterson entered federal service in October 2000 as a program director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. While in OSD, he was the Director of Program Resources and Integration for the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Advanced Systems and Concepts, as well as Associate Director, Investment, Office of the Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). Prior to his current assignment, he was Associate Director, Air Force Quadrennial Defense Review, Office of the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff.