Undersecretary of the Navy Robert Work will become the CEO of the Center for a New American Security, a prestigious defense think tank with close ties to the Obama administration after he leaves federal service.

Last month, Work announced he would step down but declined to provide a specific date.

CNAS announced Wednesday Work would begin there April 22.

Work succeeds Nathaniel Flick, who stepped down in November.

“Bob Work is in the very front ranks of those thinking about and working to strengthen our national security,” Richard Danzig, the chairman of CNAS’ board of directors, in a statement. “More than a thought leader, he is also a widely admired leader in all dimensions.”

Danzig called Work a “worthy successor” to Fick and previous CNAS leaders, including Michele Flournoy, who after co-founding the organization, went on to serve as the top policy official in the Pentagon.

“Bob brings to CNAS his vast substantive expertise on many of the most critical defense issues facing the nation, along with the leadership experience and management acumen gained in running the day-to-day operations of the Department of the Navy,” said Flournoy, a member of the CNAS Board of Directors.

Before becoming the Navy Department’s No. 2 civilian, Work served as the vice president for strategic studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

Work departs the Navy at a time of great uncertainty — automatic, across-the-board budget are slated to kick in fewer than two weeks. However, in a speech last month Work said the Navy was living out its “heyday,” owing to the high-end and technologically advanced capabilities it has advanced in recent years.

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