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Mike McConnell (born July 26, 1943) is a former vice admiral in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. During his naval career he served as Director of the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996. His civilian career includes serving as the United States Director of National Intelligence from 20 February 2007 to 27 January 2009 during the Bush administration and also seven days of the
Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
. He is currently Vice Chairman at Booz Allen Hamilton.


Early life, education, and family

McConnell was born and grew up in
Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the county seat, seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenvil ...
. He graduated from Wade Hampton High School (Greenville, South Carolina) in 1964, and first attended college at North Greenville Junior College, later earning a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
in Economics from
Furman University Furman University is a Private university, private Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of hig ...
. He holds a
Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...
from
George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...
, and is a graduate of the National Defense University and the National Defense Intelligence College (Strategic Intelligence). He is married to Terry McConnell, and together they have four children and nine grandchildren.


Military and intelligence career

McConnell received his commission in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
in 1967. He worked as the Intelligence Officer (J2) for the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...
and the
United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The se ...
during Operation Desert Shield/Storm and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He developed approaches for improving information flow among intelligence agencies and combat forces in the Gulf War. From 1992 to 1996, McConnell served as Director of the
National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...
(NSA). He led NSA as it adapted to the multi-polar threats brought about by the end of the Cold War. Under his leadership, NSA routinely provided global intelligence and information security services to the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
, Cabinet officials, the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
, and a broad array of military and civilian intelligence customers. He also served as a member of the
Director of Central Intelligence The director of central intelligence (DCI) was the head of the American Central Intelligence Agency from 1946 to 2005, acting as the principal intelligence advisor to the president of the United States and the United States National Security C ...
senior leadership team to address major intelligence programmatic and substantive issues from 1992 until 1996. In 1996, McConnell retired from the Navy as a vice admiral after 29 years of service – 26 as a career Intelligence Officer. In addition to many of the nation's highest military awards for meritorious service, he holds the nation's highest award for service in the Intelligence Community. He also served as the Chairman of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. McConnell was the second person to hold the position of Director of National Intelligence. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on January 5, 2007, and was sworn in at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. on February 20, 2007. McConnell's appointment to the post was initially greeted with broad bipartisan support, although he has since attracted criticism for advocating some of the Bush administration's more controversial policies. Before his nomination as DNI, McConnell had served as a Senior Vice President with the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, focusing on the Intelligence and National Security areas. From 2005 until his confirmation as DNI in 2007, he was also chairman of the board of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, the "premier not-for-profit, nonpartisan, private sector professional organization providing a structure and interactive forum for thought leadership, the sharing of ideas, and networking within the intelligence and national security communities" whose members include leaders in industry, government, and academia. On Tuesday, August 14, 2007, McConnell visited Texas with House Intelligence Committee chairman
Silvestre Reyes Silvestre "Silver" Reyes (born November 10, 1944) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for , serving from 1997 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence ...
to review border security, and granted a wide-ranging interview to the '' El Paso Times'' newspaper, which surprised many in the intelligence community for its candor on sensitive topics such as the recent changes in the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("FISA" , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance and the collection of "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign pow ...
and the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy. At the end of the interview, McConnell cautioned reporter Chris Roberts that he should consider whether enemies of the U.S. could gain from the information he just shared, leaving it up to the paper to decide what to publish. The ''El Paso Times'' put the entire, unexpurgated interview on their website on August 22, with executive editor Dionicio Flores saying "I don't believe it damaged national security or endangered any of our people." A resurgent
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
is back in charge over parts of
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
, McConnell told CNN on February 27, 2008, in an assessment that differed from the one made January 2008 by
Defense Secretary The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The se ...
Robert Gates. On January 24, 2009, it was announced that McConnell would return to Booz Allen as a Senior Vice President.


Initiatives as DNI


100 Day Plan for Integration and Collaboration

Two months after taking office, McConnell created a series of initiatives designed to build the foundation for increased cooperation and reform of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). His plan, dubbed
100 Day Plan for Integration and Collaboration
focused on efforts to enable the IC to act as a unified enterprise in a
collaborative Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Mos ...
manner.DNI Releases 100 Day Plan Follow Up Report
September 13, 2007
It focused on six enterprise integration priorities: # Create a Culture of Collaboration # Foster Collection and Analytic Transformation # Build Acquisition Excellence and Technology Leadership # Modernize Business Practices # Accelerate Information Sharing # Clarify and Align DNI's Authorities The 100 Day Plan accomplished the launch of a civilian joint duty program, improved security clearance processing times, increased diversity in the intelligence workforce and more information sharing across the community. A 500 Day Plan is being designed to sustain the momentum with an expanded set of initiatives and a greater level of participation. It is set to deepen integration of the Community's people, processes, and technologies.ODNI News Release No. 12-07
April 11, 2007
The plan will address a new performance management framework that entail six performance elements that all agencies must entail.


500 Day Plan for Integration and Collaboration

The 100 Day Plan was meant to "jump start" a series of initiatives based on a deliberate planning process with specific deadlines and measures to ensure that needed reforms were implemented.
The 500 Day Plan
which started in August 2007, was designed to accelerate and sustain this momentum with an expanded set of initiatives and broader IC participation. It contains 10 "core" initiatives which will be tracked by the senior leadership in the Intelligence Community, and 33 "enabling" initiatives. The initiatives are based on the same six focus areas described in the 100 Day Plan. The top initiatives are: # Treat Diversity as a Strategic Mission Imperative # Implement Civilian IC Joint Duty Program # Enhance Information Sharing Policies, Processes, and Procedures # Create Collaborataive Environment for All Analysts # Establish National Intelligence Coordination Center # Implement Acquisition Improvement Plan # Modernize the Security Clearance Process # Align Strategy, Budget, and Capabilities through a Strategic Enterprise Management System # Update Policy Documents Clarifying and Aligning IC Authorities Director McConnell ended office near the 400th day of his 500-day plan.


Updating FISA

McConnell approached Congress in early August 2007 on the need to "modernize FISA," claiming two changes were needed (initial efforts began in April – see th
factsheet
for more). First, the Intelligence Community should not be required, because of technology changes since 1978, to obtain court orders to effectively collect foreign intelligence from "foreign targets" located overseas. He also argued that telecoms being sued for violating the nation's wiretapping laws must be protected from liability—regardless of the veracity of the charges.Statement by DNI
August 2, 2007
Shortly thereafter, McConnell took an active role Spy Chief Has Learning Curve on Politics
Katherine Shrader,
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
, September 16, 2007
on Capitol Hill for legislation being drafted by Congress. On August 3, McConnell announced that he "strongly oppose the House's proposal because it wasn't strong enough.Statement by the Director of National Intelligence
August 3, 2007
After heated debate, Congress updated FISA by passing the Protect America Act of 2007. On September 10, 2007, testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, McConnell asserted that the recently passed Protect America Act of 2007, which eased restrictions in FISA, had helped foil a major terror plot in Germany. U.S. intelligence-community officials questioned the accuracy of McConnell's testimony and urged his office to correct it, which he did in a statement issued September 12, 2007. Critics cited the incident as an example of the Bush administration's exaggerated claims and contradictory statements about surveillance activities. Counterterrorism officials familiar with the background of McConnell's testimony said they did not believe he made inaccurate statements intentionally as part of any strategy by the administration to persuade Congress to make the new eavesdropping law permanent. Those officials said they believed McConnell gave the wrong answer because he was overwhelmed with information and merely mixed up his facts. In that same testimony, McConnell blamed the death of a kidnapped American soldier in Iraq on the requirements of FISA and the slowness of the courts. However, a timeline later released showed that the delays were mostly inside the NSA, casting doubt again on McConnell's truthfulness. McConnell, speaking to a Congressional panel in defense of the Protect America Act, said that the Russian and Chinese foreign intelligence services are nearly as active as during the Cold War. In other September 18, 2007 testimony before the
House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, ...
, McConnell addressed the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy, saying that that agency had conducted no telephone surveillance of Americans without obtaining a warrant in advance since he became
Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior, cabinet-level United States government official, required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Co ...
in February, 2007. McConnell called FISA a "foundational law" with "important legacy of protecting the rights of Americans," which was passed in the era of Watergate and in the aftermath of the Church and Pike investigations. He stressed that changes should honor that legacy for privacy and against foreign threats.House Judiciary Committee, Statement for the Record, by J. Michael McConnell
p. 3, September 18, 2007


Analytic Outreach

July 2008, Director McConnell issued a directive
ICD 205
for analysts to build relationships with outside experts on topics of concern to the intelligence community—a recommendation highlighted in the WMD Commission Report.


Updating Executive Order 12333

Director McConnell worked with the White House to overhaul
Executive Order 12333 Executive Order 12333, signed on December 4, 1981 by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, was an Executive Order intended to extend powers and responsibilities of U.S. intelligence agencies and direct the leaders of U.S. federal agencies to co-opera ...
, which outlines fundamental guidance to intelligence agencies. McConnell believes the update is necessary to incorporate the intelligence community's new organizations and new technologies and methods. The redo is expected to help the intelligence agencies work together, and to reflect the post 9/11 threat environment. In July 2008, President Bush issued Executive Order 13470, which amended 12333.


Information Integration and Sharing

As one of McConnell's last acts as DNI, he signed ICD501 "Discovery and Dissemination or Retrieval of Information Within the Intelligence Community" to dramatically increase access to several databases held by various agencies in the community. The policy establishes rules to govern disputes when access is not granted, with the DNI as the final adjudicator to resolve disputes between organizations. He also established the Intelligence Information Integration Program (I2P) under the leadership of then-CIO Patrick Gorman and then NSA-CIO Dr. Prescott Winter. The goal of I2P was to create a shared infrastructure and family of shared services as a means to increase information access, sharing and collaboration throughout the US Intelligence Community.


Integrated Planning, Programming and Budgeting System

McConnell led the effort to create an integrated planning, programming, and budgeting system to more fully integrate and optimize the capabilities of the Intelligence Community. Previously, each agency's budget was developed independently and aggregated for Congress. After the issuance of ICD106 Strategic Enterprise Management (IC SEM), the Intelligence Community budget was more closely aligned to strategic goals and objectives, requirements, and performance criteria. ICD 106 was replaced by ICD 116 in 2011

.


Years after DNI

In early April 2010, Admiral McConnell called for expanding the powers of the DNI by giving him tenure and creating a Department of Intelligence for the DNI to oversee and fully control to settle the continued fighting amongst agencies within various departments. ON February 12, 2020, Admiral McConnell, was named as the executive director of Cyber Florida. Cyber Florida is a state-funded organization hosted at USF that works with all 12 public universities in Florida, as well as private industry, government and the military to build partnerships and develop programs that grow and strengthen Florida's cybersecurity industry.


Career overview

* , Mekong Delta, 1967–1968 * Naval Investigative Service, Japan, 1968–1970 * Commander of Middle East Force Operations, 1971–1974 * Executive assistant to Director of Naval Intelligence, 1986–1987 * Chief of Naval Forces Division at
National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...
, 1987–1988 * Director of Intelligence (N2) Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet, 1989–1990 * Intelligence director for
Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...
, 1990–1992 * Director of NSA, 1992–1996 * Senior Vice President Booz Allen Hamilton, 1996–2006 *
Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior, cabinet-level United States government official, required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Co ...
, 2007–2009 * Executive Vice President Booz Allen Hamilton, 2009–2012 * Advisory Board Member of the Council on CyberSecurity, 2013 * Executive Director, Cyber Florida. 2020–present.


References


External links

*
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Official Website
The Spymaster: Can Mike McConnell fix America’s intelligence community?
Lawrence Wright, ''The New Yorker'', January 21, 2008
El Paso Times interview transcript
''El Paso Times'', released August 22, 2007
Mike McConnell, Russ Feingold, David Brooks, Bob Woodward, Stephen Hayes
''Meet the Press'', July 22, 2007, transcript of McConnell's first TV interview as Director of National Intelligence

''Foreign Affairs'', July 1, 2007

Mike McConnell, ''Washington Post'', May 21, 2007
John Negroponte and John McConnell
''Antiwar Radio: Larisa Alexandrovna '', January 10, 2007
Security and Strategy in the Age of Discontinuity: A Management Framework for the Post-9/11 World
Ralph W. Shrader and Mike McConnell, ''Strategy+Business'', First Quarter 2002 , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, John Michael 1943 births United States Navy personnel of the Gulf War Booz Allen Hamilton people Directors of the National Security Agency Furman University alumni Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration alumni Living people National Defense University alumni National Intelligence University alumni People from Greenville, South Carolina People of the Defense Intelligence Agency United States Directors of National Intelligence United States Navy vice admirals Recipients of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal Center for a New American Security