Clifford Lee Stanley (born March 31, 1947)[3] was the United States Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, having resigned that office in 2011.

[4] Clifford L. Stanley was educated at South Carolina State University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1969.

He has also served as a member of the board of directors of the White House Fellowship Association and of the McCormick Educational Foundation.

In November 2009, a private non-profit organization, Americans for Limited Government, published a "nominee alert" that cited various reasons why it believed Stanley should not have been selected for this position.

[7] Press reports in late 2011 indicated the Department of Defense's inspector general was investigating Stanley's office due to "highly detailed allegations of gross mismanagement and abuse of power.