General Michael V. Hayden
Founder
mhayden4@gmu.edu
Twitter: @GenMhayden
3351 Fairfax Dr., MS 3B1
Arlington, Virginia 22201
Bio
General Michael Hayden is a retired four-star general who served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency when the course of world events was changing at a rapid rate. As head of the country’s premier intelligence agencies, he was on the frontline of global change, the war on terrorism, and the growing cyber challenge. He understands the dangers, risks, and potential rewards of the political, economic, and security situations facing us. He speaks on the delicate balance between liberty and security in intelligence work, as well as 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 risk, and the need to develop effective internal and external communications.
In addition to leading CIA and NSA, General Hayden was the country’s first principal deputy director of national intelligence and the highest-ranking military intelligence officer in the country. In all of these jobs, he worked to put a human face on American intelligence, explaining to the American people the role of espionage in protecting both American security and American liberty. Hayden also served as commander of the Air Intelligence Agency and Director of the Joint Command and Control Warfare Center and served in senior staff positions at the Pentagon, U.S. European Command, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria. He was also the deputy chief of staff for the United Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea.
Hayden 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 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, and in Showtime’s The Spymasters, a detailed look at the directors of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Hayden is a distinguished visiting professor at the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government and founder of the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security there. He also serves on a variety of boards and consultancies. In 2013, the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) awarded Hayden the 29th annual William Oliver Baker Award. General Hayden is also the first recipient of the Helms Award presented by the CIA Officers’ Memorial Foundation. In 2014 he was the inaugural Humanitas visiting professor in intelligence studies at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. His memoir, Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror, has been a New York Times bestseller and was selected as one of the 100 most notable books of 2016. His more recent work, 2018’s The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies, was also a New York Times bestseller and addresses the impact of a post-truth world on the intelligence enterprise.
EDUCATION1967 Bachelor of Arts degree in history, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
1969 Master’s degree in modern American history, Duquesne University
1975 Academic Instructor School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1976 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1978 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1980 Defense Intelligence School (postgraduate curriculum), Defense Intelligence Agency, Bolling AFB, D.C.
1983 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
1983 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
MILITARY ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1970 – January 1972, analyst and briefer, Headquarters Strategic Air Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
2. January 1972 – May 1975, Chief, Current Intelligence Division, Headquarters 8th Air Force, Andersen AFB, Guam
3. May 1975 – July 1975, student, Academic Instructor School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
4. July 1975 – August 1979, academic instructor and commandant of cadets, ROTC program, St. Michael’s College, Winooski, Vt.
5. August 1979 – June 1980, student, Defense Intelligence School (postgraduate intelligence curriculum), Defense Intelligence Agency, Bolling AFB, D.C.
6. June 1980 – July 1982, Chief of Intelligence, 51st Tactical Fighter Wing, Osan Air Base, South Korea
7. July 1982 – January 1983, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
8. January 1983 – July 1984, student, air attaché training, Washington, D.C.
9. July 1984 – July 1986, air attaché, U.S. Embassy, Sofia, People’s Republic of Bulgaria
10. July 1986 – September 1989, politico-military affairs officer, Strategy Division, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
11. September 1989 – July 1991, Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control, National Security Council, Washington, D.C.
12. July 1991 – May 1993, Chief, Secretary of the Air Force Staff Group, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
13. May 1993 – October 1995, Director, Intelligence Directorate, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany
14. October 1995 – December 1995, special assistant to the Commander, Headquarters Air Intelligence Agency, Kelly AFB, Texas
15. January 1996 – September 1997, Commander, Air Intelligence Agency, and Director, Joint Command and Control Warfare Center, Kelly AFB, Texas
16. September 1997 – March 1999, Deputy Chief of Staff, United Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea
17. March 1999 – April 2005, Director, National Security Agency, and Chief, Central Security Service, Fort George G. Meade, Md.
18. April 2005 – May 2006, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Washington, D.C.
19. May 2006 – present, Director, Central Intelligence Agency, Langley, Va.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal