American government official and academic (born 1971)
Colin Hackett Kahl is an American
political scientist who served as
under secretary of defense for policy in the
Biden administration from April 28, 2021, to July 17, 2023. Previously, he served as
national security advisor to the vice president under then-Vice President Joe Biden (2014–2017).
[1] After the Obama administration, Kahl served as a Steven C. Házy Senior Fellow at
Stanford University .
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
In the Obama administration, Kahl was involved in the negotiations of the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
Early life and education
Kahl was born in
Michigan [
citation needed ] and raised in
Richmond, California .
[6] He graduated from
John F. Kennedy High School in 1989.
[7] Kahl earned a BA in political science from the
University of Michigan in 1993 and a PhD in political science from
Columbia University in 2000.
[8] Under his advisors
Robert Jervis and
Jack Snyder , Kahl's doctoral thesis was entitled States, Scarcity, and Civil Strife in the Developing World [Kenya] .
[9]
Career
From 1997 to 1998, he was a national security fellow at
Harvard University . From 2005 to 2006, he was a
Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, working on stability operations policy at the Department of Defense.
[10] He has been a professor at the
University of Minnesota . Kahl has published in leading
security studies journals, such as
International Security and
Security Studies , as well as
Foreign Affairs .
[11]
[12]
[13]
Obama Administration
From 2009 to 2011, he was the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East in the Obama administration.
[14] In 2011, he was awarded the
Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service by Secretary of Defense
Robert Gates .
[14] In 2014, he became National Security Advisor to then-Vice President Joe Biden.
[15] In the Obama administration, Kahl was directly involved in negotiating the
Iran Nuclear Deal , as well as publicly advocating for it.
[16]
[17]
In May 2018, it was revealed that aides to U.S. President
Donald Trump had contracted with the Israeli private intelligence firm
Black Cube to find evidence to support unsubstantiated and false claims that Kahl was being enriched by Iran lobbyists and that either he or deputy national security advisor
Ben Rhodes were cheating on their wives.
[18]
[19]
[20]
[21]
[22]
Biden Administration
In November 2020, Kahl was named a member of the
Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the
National Security Council .
[23]
Kahl was nominated by Biden to serve as the under secretary of defense for policy. His nomination was subject to controversy in the Senate, with the Republican caucus unanimously opposing his confirmation due to his support for the
Iran nuclear deal , as well as for his criticisms of Trump administration policies.
[24]
[25] Republicans also argued that Kahl had tweeted out classified information, demanding an FBI investigation into it; experts on classification told
Politico the Republican accusations against Kahl appeared to be politically motivated, asserting that the tweets did not appear to constitute a violation.
[26]
[27]
On March 4, 2021, the Senate's
Armed Forces Committee held hearings on Kahl's nomination. The committee deadlocked on the nomination on March 24, 2021, therefore delaying his confirmation. The entire Senate voted to discharge Kahl's nomination from the committee in a 50–50 roll call vote; Vice President
Kamala Harris was needed to
break the tie .
[28] On April 27, 2021, Kahl was confirmed by a vote of 49–45, thanks in part to the absence of several Republican senators.
[29]
[4] He was sworn in the following day by Secretary of Defense
Lloyd Austin .
[30]
In May 2023 it became known that Kahl would return to his role as a professor at Stanford University after being granted a two-year
leave of absence .
[31]
In April 2024, Kahl joined the
Truman National Security Project 's board of directors.
[32]
Publications
Books
States, Scarcity, and Civil Strife in the Developing World , Princeton, N.J.; Woodstock: Princeton University Press, 2008.
ISBN
9780691138350 ,
OCLC
231587048
Colin H. Kahl and
Thomas J. Wright , Aftershocks: pandemic politics and the end of the old international order , New York: St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2021.
ISBN
978-1-250-27574-5 ,
OCLC
1227086712
References
^
"PN79-6 - Nomination of Colin Hackett Kahl for Department of Defense, 117th Congress (2021-2022) | Congress.gov | Library of Congress" .
^
"Colin H. Kahl" . cisac.fsi.stanford.edu .
^
"Colin Kahl – Foreign Policy" . Retrieved May 26, 2018 .
^
a
b
"PN79-6 — Colin Hackett Kahl — Department of Defense" . U.S. Congress . Retrieved January 21, 2021 .
^
"Biden to tap longtime officials for top Pentagon roles, citing agencies 'hollowed out' under Trump - The Washington Post" .
The Washington Post .
^
"Richmond's Kennedy High graduate earns spot in Obama administration" . East Bay Times . April 19, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2021 .
^ Isnala 89 . Richmond California: John F. Kennedy High School. 1989. p. 87.
^ University, © Stanford; Stanford; Complaints, California 94305 Copyright.
"Colin H. Kahl" . cisac.fsi.stanford.edu . Retrieved January 21, 2021 . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^ Lauer, Joseph J. (July 2002).
"Recent Doctoral Dissertations" (PDF) . ASA News . Vol. XXXV, no. 3. African Studies Association. p. 18. Retrieved January 21, 2021 .
^
"Dr. Colin H. Kahl" . www.cnas.org .
^ Kahl, Colin H. (December 24, 2007).
"Constructing a separate peace: Constructivism, collective liberal identity, and democratic peace" . Security Studies . 8 (2–3): 94–144.
doi :
10.1080/09636419808429376 .
^ Kahl, Colin H. (1998).
"Population Growth, Environmental Degradation, and State-Sponsored Violence: The Case of Kenya, 1991-93" . International Security . 23 (2): 80–119.
doi :
10.2307/2539380 .
ISSN
0162-2889 .
JSTOR
2539380 .
^ Kahl, Colin H. (2012).
"Not Time to Attack Iran: Why War Should Be a Last Resort" . Foreign Affairs . 91 (2): 166–173.
ISSN
0015-7120 .
JSTOR
23217231 .
^
a
b
"Colin Kahl | Penn Biden Center" . global.upenn.edu . Archived from
the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021 .
^ Perano, Ursula (December 30, 2020).
"Biden taps Obama veterans Kathleen Hicks and Colin Kahl for top Pentagon roles" . Axios . Retrieved March 26, 2021 .
^ Detsch, Robbie Gramer, Jack (March 2, 2021).
"Obama's Iran Deal Looms Large in Senate Hearings for Key Biden Picks" . Foreign Policy . Retrieved March 26, 2021 . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link )
^ Ward, Alex (February 24, 2021).
"GOP opposition to the Iran deal threatens to sink a Biden Pentagon pick" . Vox . Retrieved March 26, 2021 .
^
"Reports: Intel Firm Was Hired To Discredit Former Obama Iran Deal Negotiators" . NPR.org . Retrieved May 26, 2018 .
^ Haaretz (May 6, 2018).
"Obama Official Reveals How 'Israeli Intel Firm Hired by Team Trump' Spied on His Family Over Iran Deal" . Haaretz . Retrieved May 26, 2018 .
^
"Israeli Operatives Who Aided Harvey Weinstein Collected Information on Former Obama Administration Officials" . The New Yorker . Retrieved May 26, 2018 .
^
"Obama official suspects his wife was targeted by Trump team smear attempt" . Retrieved May 26, 2018 .
^
"Former Obama official: Israeli spy agency Black Cube targeted me" . The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com . Retrieved May 26, 2018 .
^
"Agency Review Teams" . President-Elect Joe Biden . Archived from
the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2020 .
^ Ali, Phil Stewart, Idrees (March 4, 2021).
"Iran casts long shadow over Pentagon nominee's Senate hearing" . Reuters . Retrieved March 26, 2021 . {{
cite news }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link )
^
"Senators salvage embattled Pentagon policy nominee in tie vote - POLITICO" .
Politico . March 24, 2021.
^ Gould, Joe (April 21, 2021).
"DoD nominee Colin Kahl advances as VP Kamala Harris casts tie-breaking vote" . Defense News . Retrieved April 21, 2021 .
^
"Inhofe backs pause in Pentagon nomination amid GOP calls for probe" . POLITICO . April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021 .
^
"On the Motion to Discharge (Motion to Discharge Colin Hackett Kahl to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from the Committee on Armed Services)" . US Senate . Retrieved February 12, 2022 .
^
"On the Nomination (Confirmation: Colin Hackett Kahl, of California, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy)" . US Senate . Retrieved February 12, 2022 .
^ Twitter
https://twitter.com/secdef/status/1387542494313951237 . Retrieved April 28, 2021 .
^
"Pentagon policy chief Kahl to leave after summer NATO summit" . May 17, 2023.
^
"Announcing National Security Expert Dr. Colin Kahl Joins Truman Project Board | The Truman National Security Project" . www.trumanproject.org . Retrieved April 3, 2024 .
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Colin Kahl .
Position Appointee Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Steve Ricchetti Counsel to the Vice President
Cynthia Hogan Counselor to the Vice President
Mike Donilon Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison
Evan Ryan Assistant to the Vice President and Director of Communications
Shailagh Murray Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Shailagh Murray Deputy National Security Adviser to the Vice President
Brian P. McKeon Residence Manager and Social Secretary for the Vice President and Second Lady
Carlos Elizondo National Security Adviser to the Vice President
Colin Kahl
Secretary of Defense
Lloyd Austin
Deputy Secretary of Defense
Kathleen Hicks
Secretaries of the Military Departments
Secretary of the Army :
Christine Wormuth
Secretary of the Navy :
Carlos Del Toro
Secretary of the Air Force :
Frank Kendall III
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Gen
Charles Q. Brown Jr. ,
USAF
Under Secretaries of the Military Departments
Under Secretary of the Army :
Gabe Camarillo
Under Secretary of the Navy :
Erik Raven
Under Secretary of the Air Force :
Kristyn E. Jones (acting)
Under Secretaries of Defense for
Acquisition and Sustainment :
William A. LaPlante
Research and Engineering :
Heidi Shyu
Policy :
Sasha Baker (acting)
Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer :
Michael J. McCord
Personnel and Readiness :
Ashish Vazirani (acting)
Intelligence :
Milancy Harris (acting)
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
ADM
Christopher W. Grady ,
USN
Chiefs of the Military Services
Chief of Staff of the Army : GEN
Randy A. George
Commandant of the Marine Corps : Gen
Eric M. Smith
Chief of Naval Operations : ADM
Lisa M. Franchetti
Chief of Staff of the Air Force : Gen
David W. Allvin
Chief of Space Operations : Gen
B. Chance Saltzman
Chief of the National Guard Bureau
GEN
Daniel R. Hokanson ,
USA
Unified Combatant Command Commanders
Africa : Gen
Michael E. Langley ,
USMC
Central : GEN
Michael E. Kurilla ,
USA
Cyber : Gen
Timothy D. Haugh ,
USAF
European : GEN
Christopher G. Cavoli ,
USA
Indo-Pacific : ADM
John C. Aquilino ,
USN
Northern : Gen
Gregory M. Guillot ,
USAF
Southern : GEN
Laura J. Richardson ,
USA
Space : Gen
Stephen N. Whiting ,
USSF
Special Operations : GEN
Bryan P. Fenton ,
USA
Strategic : Gen
Anthony J. Cotton ,
USAF
Transportation : Gen
Jacqueline Van Ovost ,
USAF
a - Acting
International National Other