Michael Vickers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence | |
| In office March 16, 2011 – April 30, 2015 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Jim Clapper |
| Succeeded by | Marcel Lettre |
| Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict | |
| 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 April 27, 1953 Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 5 |
| Education | University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa (BA) University of Pennsylvania (MBA) Johns Hopkins University (PhD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1973–1983 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Unit | 10th Special Forces Group 7th Special Forces Group Classified counterterrorism unit |
Michael George Vickers (born April 27, 1953) is an American defense official who served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USD-I).[2] As USD-I, Vickers, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010, was the Defense Department's top civilian military intelligence official. Before becoming USD-I, Vickers served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict.[3]
Prior to joining the Defense Department, Vickers served in the U.S. Army Special Forces as both a non-commissioned officer and commissioned officer, as well as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) paramilitary operations officer from the elite Special Activities Division. While in the CIA, he played a key role in the arming of the Islamic mujahideen against the communist government in the service of America's proxy war against Soviet Union influence in Afghanistan.[4] Parts of mujahideen groups armed by Vickers later rose to power as the Taliban and Al-Queda, other parts would become the opposition as Northern Alliance.
- ^ "The Spy in General Dynamics' Corner Office". Fortune. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ^ Shanker, Thom (2 May 2015). "A Secret Warrior Leaves the Pentagon as Quietly as He Entered". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Welcome to nginx". www.defense.gov. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "Sorry Charlie this is Michael Vickers's War," Washington Post, 27 December 2007