When the course of world events was changing at an accelerating rate, Michael Hayden served as Director of the CIA and the NSA and was on the frontline of global change, the war on terrorism, and the growing cyber challenge.
General Michael Hayden is a retired four-star general and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and of the National Security Agency (NSA). He was the highest ranking intelligence officer in the armed forces. As the director of the country’s keystone intelligence-gathering agency, Hayden was on the frontline of geopolitical strife and the war on terrorism. Tasked with preserving the nation’s security, Hayden fully understands the dangers, risks and potential rewards of the political, economic and security situations facing the planet. He oversaw the entire intelligence community, including the CIA, NSA, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office and directed all four agencies to make them work as a unit while maintaining the specialties and unique qualities that made them successful.
Using his broad geographic and political knowledge, Hayden is now a principal at the Chertoff Group, a security consultancy co-founded by former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. He dissects the political situations in the hot spots in every corner of the world, analyzing the tumultuous global environment and what it all means for the American people and America’s interests. He is also able to speak on the challenges of managing complex organizations in times of stress as well as describe the potential benefits and dangers associated with the cyber domain.
Hayden also serves as a distinguished visiting professor at the George Mason University School of Public Policy and was elected to the board of directors of Motorola Solutions in January 2011.