Started off with Grok query about Aaron Lukas:
Aaron Paul Lukas (born May 18, 1971) is an American intelligence officer with over 20 years in the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). He currently serves as Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (PDDNI) and will step in as acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) following Tulsi Gabbard's resignation.
Early Life and EducationBorn in Toms River, New Jersey, but raised as an Arkansas native.
Graduated from Texas A&M University and earned a degree from The George Washington University.
Pre-Intelligence CareerBefore joining the IC, Lukas worked in policy and trade roles with a libertarian bent:Policy analyst at the Cato Institute (late 1990s to early 2000s).
Chief speechwriter and strategic adviser to Robert Zoellick at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (around 2002–2004).
Intelligence and Government CareerJoined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 2004 as an analyst, then transitioned to clandestine operations officer.
Served as a CIA Chief of Station and managed sensitive covert programs worldwide. He has hands-on experience in field operations, advanced tradecraft, and deployments across multiple regions.
During Trump’s first term:Intelligence aide to acting DNI Ric Grenell (2020).
Chief of Staff at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Deputy Senior Director (later Acting Senior Director) for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council.
Nominated by President Trump in March 2025 as Principal Deputy DNI under Tulsi Gabbard; confirmed by the Senate in July 2025.
Personal LifeHe is married (met his wife at the Cato Institute) and has five children.
Lukas is described as a seasoned professional focused on mission-oriented intelligence work, organizational reform at ODNI, and budget oversight. His background spans analysis, operations, policy coordination, and leadership roles bridging the CIA, ODNI, and White House.
I had to think of the scarramucci model. Not that I would compare Tulsi Gabbard to Scaramucci. No. I am merely pointing at the process of appointing one, then replacing it with the runner up.
There exists a 9 part oped on ODNI here: https://afnn.us/?s=Reforming+The+ODNI+And+The+National+Intelligence+Community%3A. It is written by Max Dribbler.
I am still in the process of digesting what he writes, but not that these chain of articles are geared towards the topic of reform. Perhaps after digest, I will create a post analyzing these pieces. For now, I find them interesting to read.
The source: AFNN well .... there is someone using the name: Adam Selene. Straight from Heinlein's book: The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress: individual liberty in an age of self aware computer systems ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_a_Harsh_Mistress
Which again ties nicely to Aaron Paul Lukas who met his wife at the Cato institute.....
Gabbard investigates and identifies areas of concern for reform and maybe elimination, and Lukas gets tasked with the performance role.
That's what it seems like to me is going on, besides her wanting to be with her husband during his time of need. Which is what a good, biblical style Christian Wife is supposed to do, right?
God bless Aaron Lukas, and thanks be to God for both Aaron Lukas and Tulsi Gabbard for their faithful service.
God loves US. 💞