Here's who Biden could pick to be Lloyd Austin's deputy defense secretary

Earlier this month, President-elect Joe Biden announced he would be nominating retired four-star Army Gen. Lloyd Austin for secretary of defense in his administration.

However, the question still remains whom the administration plans to pick for deputy defense secretary, the department's second-in-command.

The deputy secretary of defense is in charge of the Defense Department’s day-to-day business, with primary responsibilities including managing the defense budget and executing the defense secretary's priorities.

According to a report by Defense News, sources from Congress, industry and the defense community have consistently identified two individuals as likely deputy secretary contender: Frank Kendall III, a former undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, and Kathleen Hicks, a former Obama-era undersecretary of defense for policy and the current leader of Biden's Department of Defense review team.

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Kendall, who currently serves as senior adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies' International Security Program, has over 45 years of experience in engineering, management, defense acquisition, and national security affairs in private industry, government, and the military. Prior to serving as undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logisitcs from 2012 to 2017, Kendall served as principal deputy undersecretary and the acting undersecretary from 2010 to 2012.

Kendall has also been a consultant to defense industry firms, non-profit research organizations, and the Department of Defense in the areas of strategic planning, engineering management, and technology assessment. Kendall served as a Vice President of Engineering for the Raytheon Company, where he was responsible for management direction to the engineering functions throughout the company and for internal research and development. He also served as a Managing Partner at Renaissance Strategic Advisors, a Virginia-based aerospace and defense sector consulting firm.

While Kendall would likely face pushback from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party for his consulting work, his work as an attorney in the field of human rights, primarily on a pro-bono basis, may balance out any concerns. Kendall is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and holds a master's degree in aerospace engineering from California Institute of Technology, a Master of Business Administration degree from the C.W. Post Center of Long Island University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Sources have also reportedly floated Kendall as a potential Army secretary nominee.

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In addition to leading Biden's Department of Defense review team, Kathleen Hicks currently serves as senior vice president, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Hicks was a senior official in the Department of Defense from 2009 to 2013, serving as deputy undersecretary of defense for strategy, plans and forces in 2009, where she was responsible for the development of the 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance and the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review and crafting guidance for future force capabilities, overseas military posture, and contingency and theater campaign plans. In 2012, she was confirmed by the Senate to serve as principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.

She holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master’s degree from the University of Maryland, and an A.B. magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College.

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Another name that Defense News believes is more of a longshot but worth keeping an eye on is Christine Wormuth.

Wormuth, the director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center, has an extensive background in in defense and national security. She served in multiple roles in the Obama administration, including undersecretary of defense for policy from 2014 to 2016, deputy undersecretary of defense for strategy, plans and forces from 2012 to 2014, special assistant to the president and senior director for defense at the National Security Council from 2010 to 2012, and principal deputy assistant secretary for homeland defense from 2009 to 2010.

Prior to her work in government, she served as senior fellow in the International Security Program with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, focusing on defense and homeland security issues, including emergency response and preparedness matters, homeland security policy development, defense strategy and resources, and the capabilities and readiness of the U.S. military. She also served as staff director for the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq in 2007, also known as “The Jones Commission.” As staff director, she traveled with the commission to Iraq, focusing on the readiness of Iraqi police forces.

In addition, she was a Principal at DFI Government Services, a defense consulting firm, where she developed and managed a wide range of projects for government clients within the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

Wormuth, like Hicks, is a member of the Biden landing team at the Pentagon, and worked with Austin while the latter was running U.S. Central Command. Wormuth holds a master's degree in public policy from the University of Maryland and a bachelor's degree from Williams College.

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The Biden transition team did not immediately return FOX Business' request for comment.