Retired Admiral Mike McConnell will succeed John Negroponte as national intelligence director, as speculated in this morning’s press coverage, presuming no unexpected problems pop up in the Senate.
Certainly, he’s well qualified. Here’s McConnell’s bio from Booz Allen Hamilton, where he’s a VP (via IM from Jeff Quinton):
As Vice President, Mike McConnell leads the firm’s assignments in Military Intelligence and Information Operations for the Department of Defense, the Unified Combatant Commanders, Military Services, and Defense Agencies.
Prior to joining Booz Allen, from 1992-1996, Mr. McConnell served as Director of the National Security Agency (NSA). He led NSA at the end of the Cold War in addressing the agency’s transformation to adapt to the multi-polar threats posed by the changing international environment. Under Mr. McConnell’s leadership, the NSA routinely provided global Intelligence and Information Security Services to the President and his cabinet in addition to military and civil departments and intelligence customers.
While serving as NSA’s Director, Mr. McConnell was one of the first senior officials to identify information assurance (IA) and information defense as major strategic issues in our increasingly networked society. Mr. McConnell’s discussions in Defense, the White House, Congress, and in industry in 1994 laid the foundation for significant changes initiated in 1998. In addition, he served as the Intelligence Officer (J-2) for the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS-J2) during the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Operation DESERT STORM.
The AP story also picks up a thread from this morning’s discussions: “The administration sought to dispel any suggestion that Negroponte’s shift was a demotion. Bush personally reached out to Negroponte, an experienced diplomat, to take over the long-vacant job as deputy secretary of state, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because Bush has not announced the nomination.”
