From 2009-2012, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Plans. In 2012, she was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Davidson flew combat support and humanitarian air mobility missions in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and was an instructor pilot at the U.S. Air Force Academy. In 2006-2008, Dr. Davidson served as a Director in Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict. Dr. Davidson holds a Ph.D. and a Master's of Arts degree in international studies from the University of South Carolina. She is author of Lifting the Fog of Peace: How Americans Learned to Fight Modern War (University of Michigan Press, 2009).