Kathleen Hicks
US Deputy Secretary of Defense, 2021–2025
- Office
- Deputy Secretary of Defense, February 2021 – January 2025 (confirmed February 8, 2021)
- First
- First woman confirmed by the Senate to the post
- Earlier
- Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
- UAP actions
- June 2021 directive; November 2021 creation of AOIMSG
Pentagon's No. 2 official from 2021 who ordered formal UAP reporting procedures after the 2021 intelligence report.
What is Kathleen Hicks known for?
Kathleen Hicks is an American defense policy official. In February 2021 she became the first woman confirmed by the Senate as Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon's second-highest post, and served through the Biden administration. She had earlier been Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.
When the intelligence community released its preliminary assessment on unidentified aerial phenomena on June 25, 2021, Hicks directed Pentagon intelligence officials to plan how to formalize the work of the Navy's UAP Task Force, including procedures for collecting, reporting and analyzing UAP and protecting training ranges.
In November 2021 she ordered the creation of the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group to identify objects in military airspace and assess threats to flight safety and national security. That office was renamed and expanded in 2022 as the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).
Ordered formal military UAP reporting after the 2021 intelligence assessment.
Mentioned on these pages
Sources
- U.S. Department of Defense, 'Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Assessment' (June 25, 2021)Primary text
- U.S. Department of Defense, 'DoD Announces the Establishment of the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group'Primary text
- Sen. Jack Reed, 'Dr. Kathleen Hicks Confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Defense'Primary text
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