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Government / Military

Kathleen Hicks

2022

Deputy Secretary of Defense; formally established AARO in July 2022, with Sean Kirkpatrick reporting directly to her as its first director. Before returning to government, she was a senior official at The Aerospace Corporation — a case cited in reporting on the Pentagon-industry revolving door.

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Connections (7)

confirmedSAPOC (SAP Oversight Committee)
chairs the SAP Oversight Committee as Deputy Secretary of Defense
Source: DoD SAPOC/SRG structure (FAS sgp.fas.org; CDSE SAP student guide)
confirmedDavid Norquist
his successor as Deputy SecDef; each stood up a UAP office
Source: DoD leadership records; AARO (Wikipedia)
confirmedThe Aerospace Corporation
held a senior role there before returning to the Pentagon
Source: Official government / corporate service records
confirmedSean Kirkpatrick
he reported directly to her as AARO's first director
Source: DoD, Dep. SecDef memo establishing AARO, Jul 20 2022; AARO.mil
confirmedSAPCO (SAP Central Office)
the SAPCO director reports directly to the Deputy Secretary of Defense
Source: DoD Special Access Program Central Office (acq.osd.mil/sapco); FAS (sgp.fas.org) SAPOC reference
confirmedAOIMSG
established it Nov 23, 2021
Source: DoD/OSD(PA) AOIMSG establishment briefing, Nov 23 2021; AARO (Wikipedia)
confirmedAARO
formally established it in July 2022
Source: DoD, Dep. SecDef memo establishing AARO, Jul 20 2022; AARO.mil
Part of The Red Thread Files — an independent, evidence-first investigation into the UAP, USO, and consciousness question. Confidence labels (confirmed / reported / disputed) are an automated approximation based on the wording and directness of each source, not a verdict. Corrections: sddgfeedback@gmail.com.