Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen (right) administers the oath of office to Dr. John J. Hamre (left) as the twenty-sixth deputy secretary of Defense as Hamre's wife (center) holds the Bible in a Pentagon ceremony on July 29, 1997. Hamre received Senate confirmation by unanimous consent on July 24. Hamre most recently served as the under secretary of Defense (Comptroller), assuming those duties in October 1993. Before coming to the department, he served for ten years as a professional staff member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In this capacity he was primarily responsible for the oversight and evaluation of procurement and research and development programs. From 1978 to 1984, he served in the Congressional Budget Office, rising to the position of deputy assistant director for National Security and International Affairs. Hamre received his doctorate with distinction from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. In 1972, he received his bachelor's degree from Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D., emphasizing political science and economics. The following year he studied as a Rockefeller Fellow at the Harvard Divinity School.