Michael Vickers
Dr. Michael Vickers served as Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence from 2011 to 2015 and as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, Low Intensity Conflict, and Interdependent Capabilities from 2007 to 2011. Earlier in his career, he served as an operations officer with the CIA and as a U.S. Army Special Forces officer and operator. Mike is best known as the mastermind of the covert action program that defeated the Soviet Army in Afghanistan and helped bring an end to the Cold War. His exploits against the Soviets in Afghanistan were featured in the book and movie Charlie Wilson’s War. More recently, he played central roles in our campaigns to dismantle and defeat al-Qa’ida and in the operation that killed Usama Bin Ladin. He is the recipient of the presidential national security medal, our nation’s highest award in intelligence. His memoir, By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence,
