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Who is Aaron Lukas? 5 things to know about the acting DNI after Tulsi Gabbard's resignation
Aaron Lukas is expected to lead as the acting Director of National Intelligence after Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation
Aaron Lukas is set to step into the national security roles in Washington after Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation on Friday.
Lukas served as Gabbard's Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (PDDNI) and will now serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence, per President Donald Trump's Truth Social post.
Trump wrote, “Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her. Her highly respected Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Aaron Lukas, will serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence.”
Gabbard is set to leave office on June 30.
Five key things to know about Aaron Lukas
1. Aaron Lukas is a veteran CIA officer with over 20 years of intelligence experience. According to the ODNI, Lukas spent more than two decades working within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as both an analyst and a clandestine operations officer. Lukas was deployed across multiple regions worldwide.
During his onboarding as the PDDNI with Gabbard, Lukas said, “As someone who has spent most of my career serving on the front lines of intelligence, I understand firsthand our challenges as a community and the threats we face abroad.”
Gabbard also said, as she welcomed Lukas as PDDNI in 2025, she described him as someone who understood “nearly every aspect of intelligence work.”
2. Aaron Lukas has served in Trump's first administration. Lukas previously held multiple senior national security positions during President Donald Trump’s first administration.
He served as chief of staff at ODNI under former acting DNI Richard Grenell and later became Deputy Senior Director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council.
3. Aaron Lukas is an alumna of Texas A&M University and GWU. Lukas was born in Arkansas. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1993. In 1997, he graduated from George Washington University (GWU) with a Master of Arts in international affairs.
4. Aaron Lukas is married to Carrie Lukas. Lukas's wife, Carrie, has held positions at the Cato Institute and the House of Representatives' Republican Policy Committee on Capitol Hill. She graduated from Princeton University and Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and she writes for Forbes and National Review.
Carrie is now the head of the Independent Women's Forum. She is the author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism and a coauthor of Liberty Is No War on Women.
5. Aaron Lukas and his wife Carrie Lukas share 5 children. Lukas met his wife Carrie Lukas, with whom he is raising five children, while working at the Cato Institute and the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
