Michael Hayden
US intelligence director
| Michael Hayden
| |
|---|---|
| Image |  General Michael V. Hayden |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Air Force officer; intelligence director; security consultant; academic |
| Known for | Director, National Security Agency 1999 – 2005[1] Director, Central Intelligence Agency; principal, Chertoff Group |
| Predecessor | Kenneth Minihan |
General Michael V. Hayden was Director of the US National Security Agency from 1999 to 2005, and of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2006 to 2009.[2]
Office held
| Office | Start | End | Predecessor | Successor | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director, National Security Agency | 1999 | 2005 | Kenneth Minihan | Keith Alexander | [1] |
NSA management and reorganisation
Michael Hayden arrived at the National Security Agency in March 1999 after a series of military intelligence appointments, including command of the Air Intelligence Agency. Matthew M. Aid describes him as seeking rapid organisational change while confronting resistance from senior civilian managers and the need to modernise communications collection.[3]
Surveillance after 11 September 2001
Matthew M. Aid situates Hayden’s directorship of the National Security Agency within the expansion of surveillance following the 11 September attacks. His account discusses the warrantless interception programme revealed in December 2005 and contrasts it with earlier public assurances by Hayden and George Tenet that surveillance of US persons was subject to the relevant legal authorisations.[4]
Modernisation and the 2000 processing failure
Michael Hayden announced a ‘100 Days of Change’ programme on 10 November 1999. Matthew M. Aid describes recruitment of an external chief financial officer and the diversion of operational resources into modernisation. In January 2000 the National Security Agency suffered a major processing outage lasting more than 72 hours. Aid places the failure within the pressures of ageing infrastructure and the transition to new communications technologies.[5]
Consultancy, university and corporate appointments
| Organisation | Role and dates | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Chertoff Group | Principal in the security consultancy, following his intelligence leadership career. | [6] |
| George Mason University | Distinguished visiting professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government. | [6] |
| Motorola Solutions | Board membership listed in the university biography. | [6] |
Affiliations
External resources
- Nick Hopkins, Former NSA chief: western intelligence agencies must be more transparent, theguardian.com, 30 September 2013.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 National Security Agency, Former NSA/CSS Leadership, accessed 8 November 2026.
- ↑ General Michael V. Hayden, Chertoff Group, accessed 1 September 2009.
- ↑ Matthew M. Aid, The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency, New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2009, chapter 11.
- ↑ Matthew M. Aid, The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency, New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2009, chapter 16.
- ↑ Matthew M. Aid, The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency, New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2009, chapter 11, section ‘The Hayden Era at NSA’.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 George Mason University, General Michael Hayden (Ret.), National Security Institute, accessed 8 November 2026.