Aaron Lukas
American intelligence official (born 1971)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aaron Paul Lukas (born May 18, 1971)[1] is an American intelligence official and the current Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence in the Trump Administration.[2][3] Previously, he served as the Deputy Senior Director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council under the first Trump Administration.[4] He is slated to become the Acting Director of National Intelligence after Tulsi Gabbard, the current director, leaves office on June 30, 2026.[5]
Aaron Lukas | |
|---|---|
| |
| Director of National Intelligence | |
Acting, Designate | |
| Assuming office June 30, 2026 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Succeeding | Tulsi Gabbard |
| Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence | |
| Assumed office July 24, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Stacey Dixon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Aaron Paul Lukas May 18, 1971 Toms River, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | Texas A&M University (BA) George Washington University (MA) |
Early life and education
Lukas was born in Toms River, New Jersey, in 1971. In 1993, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Texas A&M University. In 1997, he obtained a Master of Arts in international affairs from the George Washington University.[1]
Career
In graduate school, Lukas was an intern for the Cato Institute where he later served as a policy analyst until 2002. From 2002 to 2004, he worked at the Office of the United States Trade Representative as a chief speechwriter. From 2004, Lukas worked for the Central Intelligence Agency as an intelligence analyst until 2005, where he served as an operations officer under the Directorate of Operations.[1] Much of his work with the Agency remains classified. News outlets, such as Reuters, reported that Lukas served as a foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State during the same period where Lukas was employed by the Central Intelligence Agency instead.[6]
Later in his career, Lukas served as a CIA station chief where he managed sensitive clandestine programs that have significantly impacted US national security.[7] In 2020, he was briefly detailed to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to serve as chief of staff to then-acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell. From 2020 to 2021, he served as the Deputy Senior Director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council under the first Trump Administration.[4]
President Donald Trump announced plans to nominate Aaron Lukas for the position of principal deputy director of national intelligence on March 11, 2025.[8] On April 9, 2025, the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held a confirmation hearing on Lukas' nomination.[9] He was confirmed on July 22, 2025, by a vote of 51-46.[10] Lukas was sworn by DNI Tulsi Gabbard in two days later on July 24, 2025.[3]
When Gabbard announced her resignation in May 2026, to take effect on June 30, Trump announced that Lukas would serve as acting director of national intelligence.[11]