Christopher Miller

Christopher Charles Miller (born October 15, 1965) is an American former Special Forces colonel who rose to national prominence when he served as acting United States Secretary of Defense from November 9, 2020 to January 20, 2021. Raised in Iowa City after an early childhood in Platteville, Wisconsin, Miller’s father was a long‑time police chief and his mother a university instructor, influences that instilled in him a strong sense of public service. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from George Washington University, graduating with the highest GPA in his department, and later completed a Master of Arts in national security studies at the Naval War College, as well as studies at the College of Naval Command and Staff and the Army War College. Miller entered the Army Reserve in 1983, commissioned as a second lieutenant through ROTC in 1987, and joined the Special Forces in 1993, eventually commanding units of the 5th Special Forces Group during multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, where he earned a reputation for tactical acumen and leadership under fire. After a distinguished military career that culminated in the rank of colonel in 2009, he retired in 2014 and worked as a defense contractor before re‑entering government service as an inspector for the assistant to the secretary of defense for intelligence oversight in 2017. In 2020 he was appointed director of the National Counterterrorism Center and shortly thereafter, following the dismissal of Mark Esper, President Donald Trump named him acting secretary of defense, a position he held through the final weeks of the Trump administration. Miller’s tenure was marked by controversial drawdowns of U.S. forces abroad, a disputed pause in transition cooperation with the incoming Biden administration, and intense scrutiny of his response to the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, where he delayed deployment of the D.C. National Guard despite urgent requests. After leaving office, Miller authored the memoir Soldier Secretary and contributed to policy publications, continuing to influence defense discourse while remaining a vocal critic of certain Pentagon programs such as the F‑35 Joint Strike Fighter. He is married to Kathryn Maag Miller, an office manager for a health‑environment lobbying group, and they have three children.