Key Findings & Analysis
The 2025 LCWINS Tracker analyzes the composition of select senior national security leadership roles across the executive branch. This year’s Tracker covers 300 positions, a decrease from 500 positions in recent years that reflects the 2025 reduction in executive branch staffing. For additional detail on scope and methodology, click here.
In 2025, women held 14% of the most senior national security leadership roles across the executive branch. Women served in several of the government’s most senior national security positions, including as Attorney General, Director of National Intelligence, and Secretary of Homeland Security.
The charts below present a snapshot of current leadership composition across agencies, roles, and levels. Vacancies remain across agencies, role categories, and seniority levels. As departments and agencies fill these positions, the composition reflected in the Tracker may change over time.
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All Tracked Roles
Women represent 14% of senior national security positions. Across all 300 tracked positions, 41 were held by women, 212 were held by men, and 47 were vacant. By area, women served most frequently in the Defense area. By level, women served most frequently at the Deputy Assistant Secretary.
Senate Confirmed Roles
Women held 9% (15) of the 165 tracked positions that require Senate confirmation.
Defense
Women represented 17% of all tracked Department of Defense positions. Across 123 tracked Pentagon roles, there were 21 women, 96 men, and 6 vacancies. More than half (12) of the women in this area served at the Deputy Assistant Secretary level.
Diplomacy
Women held 13% of all tracked positions in the Diplomacy area of national security responsibility. Across the 88 tracked positions, 11 were held by women, 57 were held by men, and 20 were vacant.
Intelligence
Women held 12% of all tracked positions in the Intelligence area of national security responsibility. Across the 26 tracked positions, 3 were held by women, 20 were held by men, and 3 were vacant. One woman held a tracked position at each of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, and at each of the Agency Head, Deputy, and Senior/Director levels.
National Security Council
The National Security Council (NSC) is home to a 21-person Principals Committee of cabinet-level leaders. Seven of principals are not primarily focused on national security and are included here for context only. Fourteen Principals Committee members are found throughout the five areas of national security responsibility and their work is meaningfully supported by 20 notable NSC staff-level roles.
Here we analyze the full Principals Committee (including tracked and non-tracked roles) and all tracked NSC roles (including tracked Principals and staff). Women comprised 5% of the NSC’s full Principals Committee roles
Other
Women held 14% of tracked positions in the Other area of national security responsibility. Across the 41 tracked roles, 5 were held by women, 28 by men, and 8 were vacant.
