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Biden Nominates Kathleen Hicks As First Woman Deputy Defence Secretary, The No.2 Pentagon Job

If Hicks takes on the charge of a deputy secretary of defence, she will become the first female in history to hold the No. 2 Pentagon job.

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Sanskriti Tiwari
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Kathleen Hicks

The United States President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated Kathleen Hicks for the position of deputy defence secretary. Hicks is a former Pentagon official. She worked as a Pentagon official under President Obama's stint at the White House.

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If Hicks takes on the charge of a deputy secretary of defence, she will become the first female in history to hold the No. 2 Pentagon job. Hicks, a former civil servant in defence who has served at top positions and discharged upon strategic roles, has been the foremost contender for the No.2 Pentagon jobs for the past few months.

Also Read: Kashmir-Born Woman Aisha Shah Bags Senior Position In Joe Biden’s Digital Team

What You Should Know

  • Kathleen Hicks has been nominated for the position of Deputy Defence Secretary.
  • Besides her nomination, Dr Colin Kahl was also nominated as Under Secretary of Defence for Policy.
  • If Hicks gets the position she will become the first woman in history to hold the No.2 Pentagon job.

Hicks has been there with Biden since November. She has led the Biden transition effort at the Pentagon as director of the Department of Defense agency review team. Most recently, Hicks served as Senior Vice President, Henry Kissinger director and chair of the international security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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The official press release for Joe Biden's nominations read, "These crisis-tested patriots will work with Secretary-designate Lloyd Austin to keep us safe and secure and ensure our defense policies are accountable to the American people."

Also Read: In A Historic First For Democrats Joe Biden May Nominate Indian-American Neera Tanden To Cabinet

Who Is Kathleen Hicks?

Deputy Defence Secretary nominee Dr Kathleen Hicks is currently serving as the Senior Vice President and Director of the International Security Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. She is an experienced defence and foreign policy person. Apart from serving during the Obama-Biden administration, she has also served as the current head of the Biden-Harris's Defence Agency Review Team.

In addition to the positions she has held, Hicks has various other accolades at her shoulder to boast off. She is the recipient of the DOP Senior Professional Women’s Association Excellence in Leadership Award. Furthermore, she is also a Donald Marron Scholar at the Johns Hopkin School of Advanced International Studies.

To-be first female Deputy Defence Secretary Hicks has completed her Master's degree from the University of Maryland. Moreover, she received her PhD degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Picture Credits: Buildbackbetter.gov

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