Michael G. Vickers

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Michael Vickers

Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence
Incumbent
Assumed office March 16, 2011
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	James Clapper
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict and Interdependent Capabilities
In office July 23, 2007 – March 16, 2011
President	George W. Bush Barack Obama
Preceded by	Thomas O'Connell
Succeeded by	Michael Lumpkin (Acting)
Personal details
Born	Michael George Vickers (1953-04-27) April 27, 1953 Burbank, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa University of Pennsylvania Johns Hopkins University

Michael George Vickers (born April 27, 1953) is an American defense official who is serving as the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USD-I) within the United States Department of Defense. He was born in Burbank, California.^[1] As USD-I, Vickers, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010, is the Defense Department's top civilian military intelligence official. Before becoming USD-I, Vickers served as United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict.^[2]^[3]

Before joining the Defense Department, Vickers served in the Army Special Forces as both a non-commissioned and commissioned officer, as well as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) paramilitary operations officer from their elite Special Activities Division.^[4] While in the CIA, he played a key role in the arming of the resistance to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.^[5]

Career

From 1973 to 1986, Vickers served as an army special forces sergeant, later as a commissioned officer, and CIA paramilitary operations officer. In the mid-1980s, Vickers became involved with Operation Cyclone, the CIA program to arm Islamist Mujahideen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. He was the head military strategist for the US, coordinating an effort that involved ten countries and providing direction to forces made up of over 500,000 Afghan fighters.^[6] Later he was Senior Vice President, Strategic Studies, at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), during which he provided advice on Iraq strategy to US President George H.W. Bush and his war cabinet.^[6] In July 2007 he was confirmed by the United States Senate as Assistant Secretary of Defense, where he is the senior civilian advisor to the US Secretary of Defense on such matters as "counter-terrorism" strategy and operational employment of special operations forces, strategic forces, and conventional forces.^[7] In 2004, he wrote an op-ed piece for USA Today in which he stated that the United States can be successful in Iraq by using a much smaller force modeled on its deployment in Afghanistan.^[8]

Personal

Vickers attended the University of Alabama, where he graduated with honors, and went on to attend the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania from which he received an MBA. He earned a Ph.D. in 2011 in International Relations/Strategic Studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University under Professor Eliot A. Cohen. He is married with five daughters.^[6]

In popular culture

Vickers' role at the Central Intelligence Agency during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was featured in George Crile's 2003 book Charlie Wilson's War, and in the 2007 movie adaptation in which he is played by actor Christopher Denham.

References

↑
↑ "Political Scene". The Washington Times. January 12, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2011. "A brief written exchange between Senate questioners and the Pentagon’s assistant secretary for special operations, Michael G. Vickers"
↑ "Defense.gov Biography: Michael G. Vickers". Defense.gov. U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
↑ Crile, George (2003). Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History. Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 0-87113-854-9.
↑ "Sorry Charlie this is Michael Vickers's War", Washington Post, 27 December 2007
↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Bio page at the United States Department of Defense
↑ Nomination page at Whitehouse.gov
↑ For guidance on Iraq, look to Afghanistan: Use fewer U.S. troops, not more

External links

SOF Advisor - Michael G. Vickers November 14, 2007
U.S. adapts Cold-War Idea to Fight Terrorists NYTimes March 18, 2008
Michael G. Vickers Biography collected news and commentary at The Washington Post

Political offices
Preceded by Thomas O'Connell	Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict and Interdependent Capabilities 2007–2011	Succeeded by Michael Lumpkin Acting
Preceded by James Clapper	Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence 2011–present	Incumbent

v t e Senior officials in the United States Department of Defense

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Ashton Carter Secretaries of the Military Departments Secretary of the Army: John McHugh Secretary of the Navy: Ray Mabus Secretary of the Air Force: Deborah James Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey, USA Under Secretaries of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics: Frank Kendall III Policy: Dr. James Miller Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer: Robert Hale Personnel and Readiness: Jessica L. Wright (acting) Intelligence: Michael Vickers Deputy Chief Management Officer Elizabeth McGrath Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral James Winnefeld, USN Chiefs of the Military Services Chief of Staff of the Army: Raymond Odierno Commandant of the Marine Corps: James Amos Chief of Naval Operations: Jonathan Greenert Chief of Staff of the Air Force: Mark Welsh Chief of the National Guard Bureau Frank Grass

Persondata
Name	Vickers, Michael G.
Alternative names
Short description	American warfare theorist
Date of birth	1953
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death

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