Michael Hayden is a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency and has also served as the country’s first principal deputy director of national intelligence.
In his capacity at the DNI’s office, the retired four-star Air Force general was the highest-ranking military intelligence officer in the armed forces.
The 39-year military veteran is currently a principal at The Chertoff Group, where he advises clients on how intelligence events worldwide can affect their businesses.
His areas of focus include technological intelligence, counterintelligence, communications, data networks, global political and terrorist risk analysis and the intelligence community’s structure and strategy.
Hayden was one of several former military and civilian officials, including former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, to sign a letter in June urging Congress to move forward on cybersecurity legislation.
He led the NSA between 1999 and 2005, the CIA between 2006 and 2009 and served in the DNI’s office between 2005 and 2008.
At the CIA, he was responsible for the collection of information on plans, intentions and capabilities of the country’s adversaries; production of analysis for decision makers; and carrying out of covert operations against terrorists and other enemies.
In November, he delivered a keynote address at a MarkLogic-hosted forum on the role of big data in the government.
He has also served commander of the Air Intelligence Agency, director of the Joint Command and Control Warfare Center and chief of the Central Security Service.
He graduated from Duquesne University with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1967 and also holds a master’s degree in modern American history from Duquesne, earned in 1969. He is a graduate of the university’s ROTC program and began his active military service in 1969.
He also completed postgraduate work at the Defense Intelligence Agency‘s Defense Intelligence School.