Dr. Michael Vickers assumed the responsibilities as Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence March 17, 2011, he was the longest serving Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence in the department’s history.
Previously, he served as the department’s first and only Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity & Interdependent Capabilities from July 2007 to March 2011, and Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence from January 2011 to March 2011.
Dr. Vickers’ federal service has spanned nearly four decades; serving in a variety of positions as a national security decision maker and intelligence community leader. In addition to his tenure at the Department of Defense, he also served in the U.S. Army as a Special Forces non-commissioned officer and Special Forces officer, and was a CIA operations officer.
Dr. Vickers received his B.A. from the University of Alabama and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business. He later earned a Ph.D. in international relations and strategic studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
