Chris is the Chief Operating Officer of Highpoint Aerotechnologies, a holding company committed to advancing the rapidly evolving field of counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems and autonomy. Prior to Highpoint, Miller was a public servant for 34 years.  His public service culminated as the Acting Secretary of Defense of the United States where he oversaw the military’s $720 billion budget and successfully led its two million service members and 700k civilian employees through one of the most tumultuous periods in American history.

The Senate unanimously confirmed Chris on August 6, 2020 as the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center where he was responsible for defending the U.S from terrorist attacks.  Chris became a political appointee in January 2020 to lead the Department of Defense’s counterterrorism and irregular warfare efforts.  He also served temporarily as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations with responsibility for fighting Al Qaida, recovering American hostages and transforming the DoD to compete against rising powers through non-traditional means.

In 2018 and 2019 Chris served as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism and Transnational Threats at the White House’s National Security Council.  As the government’s senior most policy-making official in those fields, Chris developed and implemented strategy and policy and provided counsel to the National Security Advisor, Vice-President, and President.

Chris enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1983.  In 1987 he became an Army officer through R.O.T.C and served 27 years in the Infantry and Special Forces (Green Berets).  As a Green Beret, he planned and participated in the invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, in addition to numerous other deployments worldwide.  After retiring from the Army in 2014, he provided advice to senior government officials as a contractor and civil servant and drove change in the fields of Special Operations, Political Warfare and Intelligence.  

Raised in Iowa City, Iowa, Chris received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the George Washington University.  He earned a Master of Arts degree in National Security Studies from the Naval War College and is a graduate of the Army War College.