The institute is a non-profit organization "devoted to bringing the insights of scholarship to bear on the development of policies that advance U.S. national interests, " according to its website.
Hillen has held his current posts with Sotera since 2008.
From 2005 to 2007, he served as Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs in the George W. Bush administration.
Prior to that, Hillen was president of what is now CGI Federal Inc, the American subsidiary of Canadian IT firm CGI, Inc.
A veteran of the U.S. Army, Hillen served as a reconnaissance and special operations officer in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.