WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has quietly replaced Marc Berkowitz as its space policy chief, with former deputy Michael Gancio now serving as acting assistant secretary of defense for space policy.
Gancio brings an intelligence background to the role, according to his official DoD biography. He most recently served as an advisor to Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The departure was not formally announced, though two sources confirmed Berkowitz left the position on Wednesday. By Thursday, the Defense Department’s website had been updated to reflect the change: Berkowitz’s biography now identifies him as the former assistant secretary, while Gancio is listed as acting.
Berkowitz could not be reached for comment, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
However, sources inside and outside the Pentagon said Berkowitz — confirmed by the Senate in December and officially starting in January — resigned from the post.
Government and industry sources indicated that Berkowitz, who has a long space-oriented career spanning both government and industry, had clashed with his boss, Elbridge Colby, on multiple occasions.
“From what I’ve been told, Colby doesn’t care about space, so it’s been frustrating,” said one industry consultant with Pentagon ties.
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