Pentagon comptrollerThe Pentagon spends $74 million every hour, and Hale is the man responsible for accounting for it all. Since he knows what’s being spent and where, he’s also charged with making sure the Pentagon is achieving its cost-cutting goals. Despite the sometimes mind-numbing number crunching he does on a daily basis, Hale
can explain with ease, candor and humor even the most complicated aspects of the defense budget. Brutally honest and upfront, the former Navy officer will be instrumental in guiding the Pentagon through what likely will be years of constrained spending as the nation seeks to cut its deficit.
So, who’s not on the list? Lots of people. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
didn’t score high enough to break into the top 100.
Neither did Douglas Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office, or Defense
Department General Counsel Jeh Johnson, whose December resignation sealed his fate.
In the course of a few November days, three people plummeted from the top ranks of the powerful, falling down, and in one case off, the list.
Top editors had just finalized the top 10 for this project when retired Army Gen. David Petraeus abruptly resigned from his job as director of the CIA after admitting to an extramarital affair. The esteemed Petraeus, seen by many as destined for higher office and perhaps even the presidency, had been a fixture in the top 10 from the start.