“Mike brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise from a distinguished career in the US military and as a national security advisor in both Republican and Democratic administrations,” said Michael Chertoff, chairman, BAE Systems, Inc. board of directors. “His knowledge of the needs and challenges of defence and intelligence customers will be extremely valuable and I’m pleased to welcome him to the board.”

 
Vickers served as Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence from 2011 until April of this year. There, he led a global operation that includes the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the intelligence components of the military services and combatant commands. Among his accomplishments, he oversaw counterterrorism efforts in multiple countries, playing a major role in the elimination of numerous terrorist leaders.
 
From 2007 to 2011, Vickers served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, Low-intensity Conflict, and Interdependent Capabilities. In this role, he was the Service Secretary for all US Special Operations Forces, and he helped develop and implement the strategy to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaida. His prior service included time as an operations officer with the Central Intelligence Agency and as a Special Forces Officer with the US Army.