Colin Kahl

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]

Colin Kahl
Kahl in 2021
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
In office April 28, 2021 – July 17, 2023
President	Joe Biden
Preceded by	John Rood
Succeeded by	Sasha Baker (acting) Derek Chollet (nominee)
National Security Advisor to the Vice President
In office August 1, 2014 – January 20, 2017
Vice President	Joe Biden
Preceded by	Jake Sullivan
Succeeded by	Andrea L. Thompson
Personal details
Born	Colin Hackett Kahl (1971-06-01) June 1, 1971 (age 52) Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Michigan (BA) Columbia University (PhD)

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

1. "PN79-6 - Nomination of Colin Hackett Kahl for Department of Defense, 117th Congress (2021-2022) | Congress.gov | Library of Congress".
2. "Colin H. Kahl". cisac.fsi.stanford.edu.
3. "Colin Kahl – Foreign Policy". Retrieved May 26, 2018.
4. "PN79-6 — Colin Hackett Kahl — Department of Defense". U.S. Congress. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
5. "Biden to tap longtime officials for top Pentagon roles, citing agencies 'hollowed out' under Trump - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
6. "Richmond's Kennedy High graduate earns spot in Obama administration". East Bay Times. April 19, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
7. Isnala 89. Richmond California: John F. Kennedy High School. 1989. p. 87.
8. 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)
9. Lauer, Joseph J. (July 2002). "Recent Doctoral Dissertations" (PDF). ASA News. Vol. XXXV, no. 3. African Studies Association. p. 18. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
10. "Dr. Colin H. Kahl". www.cnas.org.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. . global.upenn.edu. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
15. Perano, Ursula (December 30, 2020). "Biden taps Obama veterans Kathleen Hicks and Colin Kahl for top Pentagon roles". Axios. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
16. 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)
17. Ward, Alex (February 24, 2021). "GOP opposition to the Iran deal threatens to sink a Biden Pentagon pick". Vox. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
18. "Reports: Intel Firm Was Hired To Discredit Former Obama Iran Deal Negotiators". NPR.org. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
19. 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.
20. "Israeli Operatives Who Aided Harvey Weinstein Collected Information on Former Obama Administration Officials". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
21. "Obama official suspects his wife was targeted by Trump team smear attempt". Retrieved May 26, 2018.
22. "Former Obama official: Israeli spy agency Black Cube targeted me". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
23. . President-Elect Joe Biden. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
24. 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)
25. "Senators salvage embattled Pentagon policy nominee in tie vote - POLITICO". Politico. March 24, 2021.
26. Gould, Joe (April 21, 2021). "DoD nominee Colin Kahl advances as VP Kamala Harris casts tie-breaking vote". Defense News. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
27. "Inhofe backs pause in Pentagon nomination amid GOP calls for probe". POLITICO. April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
28. "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.
29. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Colin Hackett Kahl, of California, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy)". US Senate. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
30. Twitter https://twitter.com/secdef/status/1387542494313951237. Retrieved April 28, 2021. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
31. "Pentagon policy chief Kahl to leave after summer NATO summit". May 17, 2023.
32. "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.

• Appearances on C-SPAN  
• Colin Kahl, Author at War on the Rocks