Brad Millick

"As a young professional entering the workforce, I wanted to be directly involved in pursuing and preserving our Country's national security mission. Thus, when I graduated from college, I took a position in an engineering and program management training program with the Navy. I had always wanted to get closer to the top echelon of leaders to see first-hand the decision making process and be positioned closer to the arena of intelligence. So, I completed multiple graduate programs encompassing several different fields part-time at night. Additionally, I took on every project, rotation or developmental assignment I could to broaden my skill set and network. It took about 10 years after graduating with my Bachelor’s degree  - but, because of my diverse rotational experience and networking, I got hired as a staff officer working Congressional Affairs and project evaluation on intelligence programs."

"My job is a mixture of two different requirements. First, I serve on the SecDef's staff as one of his Senior Leaders. So, my primary job is to keep him informed and prepared to make the best decisions on any topic in my area of responsibility. Second, on the Secretary and Under Secretary's  behalf, I manage a staff which oversees and leads a global Counter Insider Threat Enterprise - which includes several critical functions, such as: budget development & execution, congressional support, professionalization, policy development, and operations oversight."

"The world is so dynamic, fast paced, inter-connected and complex that the fields of intelligence and security are absolutely relevant (ie., they are needed to maximize decision space and opportunities for positive outcomes). In addition, since the end of the cold war; the threats (and number of them), alliances, world stability, and needs/solutions from the IC are not linear or predictable. Thus - keeping the Country secure with the best capability, analysis, and operations is like a three dimensional chess match - intellectually complex and a big challenge"

Favorite video this year: Most Leaders Don't Even Know the Game They're In by Simon Sinek