Secretary of Defence-
The Secretary of Defence is the head of the United States Department of Defense. Their role is to be the principal defense policy advisor to the President. The Secretary of Defense is appointed by the president and is a member of their cabinet. Federal law says that a person may nott be appointed by the Secretary of Defense within 7 years of being released from active duty as a commissioned officer. The Secretary of Defense is sixth in line of the Presidential Succesion The present Secretary of defense is Robert Gates.

Speaker of the House-
The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives. The current speaker is John Boehner, a Republican who is also a Representative from Ohio. They are second in line of the Presidential Succesion. The speaker performs administrative and procedural duties, and represents their state.