Johns Hopkins APL Names Former Under Secretary of Defense James N. Miller as Assistant Director for Policy and Analysis

Dr. James N. Miller, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and an expert in nuclear deterrence, missile defense, cyber conflict and space policy, has been named as the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory’s (APL) Assistant Director for Policy and Analysis. In this role, he will lead major Laboratory initiatives focused on national security and related research and development priorities. Since January 2015, Dr. Miller has served as a Senior Fellow at APL; he also served as a member of the Defense Science Board from 2014 to 2020.

“The Laboratory is very pleased to welcome Jim into this expanded leadership role,” said APL Director Dr. Ralph Semmel. “He has successfully led many deep technical analyses of complex strategic systems that have resulted in landmark policies and initiatives, and his insights and vision will enhance the Laboratory’s contributions to our sponsors.”

From 2012 to 2014, Dr. Miller served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the principal civilian advisor to the Secretary of Defense on strategy, policy and operations. He was the Department’s deputy in the National Security Council process for policy development and crisis management. Before that, Dr. Miller served as Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from 2009 to 2012. In this role, he helped guide negotiations with the Russian Federation on the New START Treaty and led major Department of Defense reviews on nuclear weapons policy, missile defense, space and cyber. He is also a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Forum on Cyber Resilience.

Dr. Miller has received the Department of Defense’s Medal for Distinguished Public Service four times, the highest award the department issues to civilians. In November 2021, Dr. Miller was named as Coordinator for Australia/UK/US (AUKUS) Initiatives.

“The security challenges facing our nation are more complex and more intertwined than ever before,” said Dr. Miller. “The Laboratory’s wide-ranging expertise allows us to bring a broad and deep base of knowledge to bear on current challenges, and to help us identify those yet to come.”

Dr. Miller succeeds the Honorable Christine Fox, former Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense, in this role. Ms. Fox served as Assistant Director since 2014 and remains at APL as a Senior Fellow.