The Senate late Monday confirmed Kathleen Hicks, a former Obama administration official, as Deputy Secretary of Defense. The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) confirmed Hicks for the position by a voice vote after approving her nomination on Feb. 4. Hicks, 50, was previously a deputy undersecretary of defense under the Obama administration. More recently, she led Biden’s transition team at the Pentagon. Prior to her nomination as deputy defense secretary, she led the international security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and was also the think tank’s senior vice president. At a hearing to consider her nomination last week, Hicks told the Senate Armed Services Committee that China and Russia are among the top challenges for the United States. “Armed conflict between the United States and China is not desirable, and it is not inevitable. The U.S. military plays a critical role in preventing that outcome,” she said. …