Kathleen Hicks

Kathleen Holland Hicks is an American government official who has served as the United States deputy secretary of defense since February 9, 2021. She is the first Senate-confirmed woman in this role. Hicks previously served as the principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy during the Obama administration. By 2020 Hicks was an American academic and national security advisor working as a senior vice president and director of the international security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She is the highest ranking woman currently serving in the United States Department of Defense.