General
Michael Hayden is a retired four-star general who served as director of
the CIA and the NSA when the course of world events was changing at an
accelerating rate. As head of the country’s keystone
intelligence-gathering agencies, he was on the frontline of geopolitical
strife and the war on terrorism. He understands the dangers, risks, and
potential rewards of the political, economic, and security situations
facing the planet. General Hayden dissects political situations in hot
spots around the world, analyzing the tumultuous global environment and
what it all means for the American people and America’s interests. He
speaks on the delicate balance between liberty and security in
intelligence work, as well the potential benefits and dangers associated
with the cyber domain. As the former head of two multi-billion dollar
enterprises, he can also address the challenges of managing complex
organizations in times of stress and the need to develop effective
internal and external communications.
At the Center of Central Intelligence. General
Hayden became director of CIA in May of 2006, capping a career in
service to the United States that included nearly 40 years in the Air
Force. He served until 2009. From 2005–2006, General Hayden was the
country’s first principal deputy director of national intelligence and
the highest-ranking military intelligence officer in the country.
From
1999–2005, Hayden had served as the director of the National Security
Agency (NSA) and chief of the Central Security Service (CSS) after being
appointed by President Bill Clinton. He worked to put a human face on
the famously secretive agency, explaining to the American people the
role of the NSA and making it more visible on the national scene.
Strategic Command in Dangerous Times. In
his nearly 40-year military career, Hayden served as commander of the
Air Intelligence Agency and director of the Joint Command and Control
Warfare Center. He has also served in senior staff positions at the
Pentagon, at the headquarters of the U.S. European Command, at the
National Security Council, and the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria. He also
served as deputy chief of staff for the United Nations Command and U.S.
Forces in South Korea.
Hayden
served as a foreign policy adviser to Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential
campaign and has been a frequent expert and commentator on major news
outlets and in top publications, valued for his expertise on
intelligence matters like cyber security, government surveillance,
geopolitics, and more. He was also featured in the HBO documentary Manhunt, which looked at espionage through the eyes of the insiders who led the secret war against Osama bin Laden.
Hayden
is currently a principal at the Chertoff Group and a distinguished
visiting professor at the George Mason University School of Public
Policy. He was also elected to the board of directors of Motorola
Solutions in January 2011 and serves on a variety of other boards and
consultancies. In 2013, the Intelligence and National Security Alliance
(INSA) awarded Hayden the 29th annual William Oliver Baker Award. In
2014 he was the inaugural Humanitas visiting professor in intelligence
studies at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
