James K. Hickey

James K. Hickey is a senior public affairs advisor in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office and a member of the National Security & Defense Industry Sector Group. A former U.S. Army officer, Mr. Hickey brings real-world experience in advising clients on their strategic approach to integrating with Capitol Hill and federal agencies, particularly the U.S. Department of War (DOW).

Mr. Hickey supports an array of clients across the defense industrial base and broader military-aligned organizations, including defense technology firms with drone and counter-drone verticals. He provides extensive experience in industry sector knowledge, as well as federal advocacy regarding the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that authorizes the yearly defense budget and establishes policy for the DOW.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Hickey completed a post-military service fellowship at an American multinational banking institution. In this role, he supported all aspects of commercial financial services for defense industry sector clients as they scaled operations from successful startups to internationally competitive service providers.

Mr. Hickey began his career as an Army officer, commissioning from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point into the Air Defense Artillery branch. As an air defender, he led teams across Iraq and Afghanistan in the counter-rocket, artillery and mortar (C-RAM) mission. As the drone threat evolved in theater, he was on the cutting edge of implementing and integrating various technical solutions to counter emerging enemy aerial tactics in combat. Additionally, he worked across the whole of government to deploy air defense assets within the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and broader diplomatic mission in Iraq. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his efforts.

Subsequently, Mr. Hickey served at Army Cyber Command, where he trained and deployed information operations (IO) field support teams (FSTs) across the globe at echelons ranging from task force to combatant command. He then studied and instituted doctrinal development from IO toward information advantage (IA) across the Army.

Mr. Hickey's interest in policy originated working with several thinktank organizations and for Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas).