Colin Kahl
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 | Elbridge Colby |
| 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 June 1, 1971 Michigan, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Michigan (BA) Columbia University (PhD) |
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). After the Obama administration, Kahl served as a Steven C. Házy Senior Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University. Since January 2026, Kahl is the Director of Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI) for International Studies, which includes CISAC.
In the Obama administration, Kahl was involved in the negotiations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. After leaving the administration, he was subject to disinformation campaigns, as well as private intelligence investigations by former Trump administration staff that targeted him, his wife and children.