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Kathleen Hicks

Deputy Secretary of Defense (2021–25) who took direct oversight of AARO in Aug 2023 and appointed Jon Kosloski as its director in Aug 2024.

Current role: Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Harvard Kennedy School) and Kissinger Center for Global Affairs (Johns Hopkins)

Former roles:

  • 35th Deputy Secretary of Defense (February 2021 – January 2025)
  • Senior Vice President, Henry A. Kissinger Chair and Director, International Security Program, CSIS
  • Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
  • Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Forces

Background

Defence policy specialist who served as the 35th Deputy Secretary of Defense from February 2021 to January 2025, the first woman confirmed to the Pentagon's number-two post, after a career that included senior policy roles in the Obama-era Pentagon and seven years leading the International Security Program at CSIS. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office sat within her remit. In August 2023, after the House Oversight hearing, she took direct oversight of AARO and had its director report to her, and in August 2024 she announced Jon Kosloski as the office's second director. The two consolidated annual reports on UAP published during her tenure (FY2023 and FY2024) were issued jointly by the Department of Defense and ODNI, and the public reporting mechanism she announced in August 2023 launched later that year on aaro.mil. She left office with the change of administration and is now a senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center and Johns Hopkins' Kissinger Center. She has not spoken publicly on UAP since leaving the Pentagon.

On the record

  • 2024-08-26 – DoD announcement of Dr. Jon Kosloski as AARO director – said he "possesses the unique set of scientific and technical skills, policy knowledge, and proven leadership experience" for the role. DefenseScoop
  • 2023-08-30 – statement on taking direct oversight of AARO, with director Sean Kirkpatrick now reporting to her – "The department takes UAP seriously because UAP are a potential national security threat. They also pose safety risks, and potentially endanger our personnel, our equipment and bases, and the security of our operations. DOD is focusing through AARO to better understand UAP, and improve our capabilities to detect, collect, analyze and eventually resolve UAP to prevent strategic surprise and protect our forces, our operations, and our nation." DefenseScoop

Timeline of involvement

  • 2021-02-09 – confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Defense
  • 2022-07-20 – AARO's first director, Sean Kirkpatrick, appointed within her department
  • 2023-08-30 – takes direct oversight of AARO, announces a public reporting website is coming
  • 2023-12-01 – Kirkpatrick departs, Tim Phillips acts as director
  • 2024-08-26 – announces Jon Kosloski as AARO director
  • 2024-11 – FY2024 Consolidated Annual Report on UAP published jointly by DoD and ODNI (ODNI page)
  • 2025-01-20 – leaves office, succeeded by Steve Feinberg

Part of the Key People in Disclosure series. Verified 2026-10-10. Spotted an error? Reach out.