Aaron Lukas

{{Short description|American intelligence officer (born 1971)}} {{Use American English|date=May 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Aaron Lukas | image = Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Paul Lukas.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2025 | office = Acting Director of National Intelligence | status = Designate | president = Donald Trump | term_start = June 30, 2026 | term_end = | succeeding = Tulsi Gabbard | predecessor = Tulsi Gabbard | successor = | office1 = Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence | president1 = Donald Trump | term_start1 = July 24, 2025 | term_end1 = | predecessor1 = Stacey Dixon | successor1 = | birth_name = Aaron Paul Lukas | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|5|18}} | birth_place = Toms River, New Jersey, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Carrie Lukas | education = {{ubl |Texas A&M University (BA) |George Washington University (MA)}} }} '''Aaron Paul Lukas''' (born May 18, 1971) is an American intelligence officer and policy analyst who has served as the principal deputy director of national intelligence since 2025.

Lukas graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1993 and from George Washington University with a master's degree in international affairs in 1998. He interned at the Cato Institute beginning in 1995 and became a policy analyst in 1997. Lukas served as the chief speechwriter for Robert Zoellick, the United States trade representative, from 2002 to 2004.

In 2004, Lukas became an analyst, and later an operations officer, at the Central Intelligence Agency. He served as an intelligence aide to Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, in 2020, and later served as the deputy senior director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council from 2020 to 2021.

In March 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Lukas to serve as the principal deputy director of national intelligence. He was confirmed by the Senate in July.

==Early life and education (1971–1997)== Aaron Paul Lukas was born on May 18, 1971, in Toms River, New Jersey.{{Sfn|"Questionnaire for Completion by Presidential Nominees". United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|p=1}} Lukas graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1993. That year, he became the director of Students for Central and Eastern Europe. In 1998, Lukas graduated from George Washington University with a master's degree in international affairs.<ref name="HSTodayNominated">{{Cite news |url=https://www.hstoday.us/industry/people-on-the-move/aaron-lukas-nominated-by-trump-to-be-next-principal-deputy-director-of-national-intelligence/ |title=Aaron Lukas Nominated by Trump To Be Next Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence |date=March 12, 2025 |last=Seldon |first=Matt |work=Homeland Security Today |access-date=May 22, 2026}}</ref>

==Career== ===Cato Institute (1995–2004)=== Lukas interned at the Cato Institute beginning in 1995.{{Sfn|"Questionnaire for Completion by Presidential Nominees". United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|p=2}} He became an information systems manager<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-star-social-security-web-site-c/198074424/ |title=Social Security web site compares investments |date=June 1, 1997 |last=Burns |first=Judith |work=The News-Star |access-date=May 22, 2026}}</ref> the following year.{{Sfn|"Questionnaire for Completion by Presidential Nominees". United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|p=2}} In 1997, Lukas became a policy analyst{{Sfn|"Questionnaire for Completion by Presidential Nominees". United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|p=2}} at Cato's Center for Trade Policy Studies.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-huntsville-times-once-again-the-eco/198074838/ |title=Once again, the economic problem is Japan |date=August 13, 1998 |last=Cunniff |first=John |publisher=Associated Press |work=The Huntsville Times |access-date=May 22, 2026}}</ref> Alongside Gary Dempsey, Lukas produced a documentary, ''Collateral Damage: The Balkans After NATO's Air War'', in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/08/29/the-ideas-industry/3cc41ca4-12c0-482c-a330-815c236744dd/ |title=The Ideas Industry |last1=Morin |first1=Richard |last2=Deane |first2=Claudia |work=The Washington Post |access-date=May 22, 2026}}</ref> Lukas served as the chief speechwriter for Robert Zoellick, the United States trade representative, from 2002 to 2004.<ref name="HSTodayNominated"/> Lukas returned to the Cato Institute as a trade analyst by February 2004.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-high-point-enterprise-white-house-t/198075957/ |title=White House, Thailand talk trade |date=February 14, 2004 |work=The High Point Enterprise |access-date=May 22, 2026}}</ref> He later married Carrie Lukas, a staffer at the Cato Institute.{{Sfn|"Questionnaire for Completion by Presidential Nominees". United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|p=5}}

===Intelligence work (2004–2025)=== In 2004, Lukas became an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency. He became an operations officer the following year.{{Sfn|"Questionnaire for Completion by Presidential Nominees". United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|p=2}} At the Central Intelligence Agency, He was the station chief for a former country in the Soviet Union.{{Sfn|"Questionnaire for Completion by Presidential Nominees". United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|p=2}} Lukas served as an intelligence aide to Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, in 2020.<ref name="APResigns">{{Cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/trump-tulsi-gabbard-director-national-intelligence-iran-788f1f14259d72bd7936fa2e83149efa |title=Tulsi Gabbard resigns as director of national intelligence, citing her husband's health |date=May 22, 2026 |last1=Kinnard |first1=Meg |last2=Weissert |first2=Will |last3=Klepper |first3=David |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=May 22, 2026}}</ref> Lukas served as the deputy senior director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council<ref name="APResigns"/> from 2020 to 2021.{{Sfn|"Questionnaire for Completion by Presidential Nominees". United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|p=2}}

==Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (2025–present)== In February 2025, Reuters reported that President Donald Trump was set to nominate Lukas as the principal deputy director of national intelligence.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-nominate-career-government-official-lukas-no-2-spy-chief-source-says-2025-02-19/ |title=Trump to nominate career government official Lukas as No. 2 spy chief, source says |date=February 18, 2025 |publisher=Reuters |access-date=May 22, 2026}}</ref> Trump nominated Lukas to the position on March 12.<ref name="HSTodayNominated"/> He appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on April 9.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/08/tulsi-gabbard-intelligence-doge-cuts-weaponization/ |title=Gabbard sets up DOGE-style team to cut costs, uncover intel 'weaponization' |date=April 8, 2025 |last1=Nakashima |first1=Ellen |last2=Strobel |first2=Warren |last3=Schaffer |first3=Aaron |author-link1=Ellen Nakashima |work=The Washington Post |access-date=May 22, 2026}}</ref> He told the committee that the United States Intelligence Community had become "aimless, bloated, risk-averse, and disconnected".<ref name="BloombergToxic">{{Cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-22/gabbard-replacement-as-us-spy-chief-blasted-toxic-dei-culture |title=Ex-CIA Officer Tapped to Replace Gabbard Blasted 'Toxic' DEI Culture |date=May 22, 2026 |last=Tarabay |first=Jamie |publisher=Bloomberg News |access-date=May 22, 2026}}</ref> The Senate voted to confirm Lukas in a 51–46 vote on July 22.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2025/07/23/zelenskyys-two-big-tests-00471669 |title=Zelenskyy's two big tests |date=July 23, 2025 |last1=Mackinnon |first1=Amy |last2=Bazail-Emil |first2=Eric |work=Politico |access-date=May 22, 2026}}</ref>

After Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, announced that she would resign in May 2026, Trump named Lukas as her acting successor.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/tulsi-gabbard-is-preparing-to-resign-as-u-s-intelligence-chief-2d6b2951 |title=Tulsi Gabbard Resigns as U.S. Intelligence Chief |date=May 22, 2026 |last1=McGraw |first1=Meridith |last2=Dawsey |first2=Josh |last3=Schwartz |first3=Brian |last4=Ward |first4=Alexander |author-link2=Josh Dawsey |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=May 22, 2026}}</ref>

==Views== In December 2000, Lukas was photographed holding a sign supporting the machine tabulation of the 2000 presidential election in Florida amid the Supreme Court's hearing of ''Bush v. Gore''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/san-antonio-express-news-silly-serious/198075134/ |title=Silly, serious make their presence felt |date=December 13, 2000 |last=Heilprin |first=John |publisher=Hearst Communications |access-date=May 22, 2026|url-status=live|work=San Antonio Express-News|quote='Machines are Non-Partisan.' At least they are to demonstrator Aaron Lukas of Washington, who was part of the throng Tuesday outside the U.S. Supreme Court.|page=11A|language=en-US}}</ref> He is a critic of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. In February 2026, Lukas wrote on X that "bad actors weaponized intelligence" in an effort to damage Donald Trump. He has rejected the assessment that the Russian government colluded to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.<ref name="BloombergToxic"/>

In 2020, Lukas donated to Martha McSally's campaign in that year's Senate special election in Arizona and Nick Freitas's campaign in the Virginia's seventh congressional district election. He additionally donated to Ricky Gill's campaign in the 2022 House of Representatives election for California's tenth congressional district and Blake Masters's campaign in the 2022 Senate election in Arizona.<ref name="BloombergToxic"/>

== Personal == Lukas met his wife, Carrie, while working with her at the Cato Institute.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Heather |date=2026-05-23 |title=Who is Aaron Lukas? What to know about Tulsi Gabbard's replacement |url=https://www.fox9.com/news/who-is-aaron-lukas-what-know-about-tulsi-gabbards-replacement |access-date=2026-05-28 |website=FOX Local |language=en-US}}</ref> She serves as president for the Independent Women's Forum.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.rmpbs.org/shows/to-the-contrary/episodes/women-thought-leaders-iwf-president-carrie-lukas-n0nuei |title=Women Thought Leaders: IWF President Carrie Lukas {{!}} Rocky Mountain PBS |language=en |access-date=2026-05-28 |via=www.rmpbs.org}}</ref> They married in 2003 and are raising five children together in Virginia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lukas |first=Carrie |title=Carrie Lukas, Author at The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal |url=https://jamesgmartin.center/author/clukas/ |access-date=2026-05-29 |website=The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Carrie L. Lukas |url=https://www.iwvoice.com/people/carrie-l-lukas/ |access-date=2026-05-29 |website=Independent Women's Voice |language=en}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Works cited== {{Refbegin|30em|indent=yes}} * {{Cite web |title=Questionnaire for Completion by Presidential Nominees |url=https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/q-alukas-040925_0.pdf |date=April 3, 2025 |publisher=United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence |access-date=May 22, 2026 |ref={{Harvid|"Questionnaire for Completion by Presidential Nominees". United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence}}}} {{Refend}}

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Tulsi Gabbard}} {{s-ttl|title=Director of National Intelligence<br>Acting|years=Taking office 2026}} {{s-non|reason=Designate}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukas, Aaron}} Category:1971 births Category:American intelligence analysts Category:George Washington University alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Toms River, New Jersey Category:Second Trump administration personnel Category:Texas A&M University alumni Category:United States directors of national intelligence