He was born in New York, New York on May 28, 1944. As of 2009, he was President and CEO of the non-profit Institute for Defense Analyses. From 2001 to 2008, he served as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in the George W. Bush administration. From 1993 to 2001, Chu served in several senior executive positions with the RAND Corporation, including Vice President and Director of the Arroyo Center, the Army's federally funded research and development center for studies and analysis, and Director of RAND's Washington Office.