| Director of the National Security Agency | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the National Security Agency | |
.jpg) | |
| National Security Agency | |
| Status | Chief Executive |
| Reports to | |
| Seat | Fort Meade,Maryland |
| Nominator | Secretary of Defense |
| Appointer | Thepresident withSenateadvice and consent |
| Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 201 |
| Precursor | Director of the Armed Forces Security Agency |
| Formation | 1952 |
| First holder | MGRalph Canine, USA |
| Deputy | Deputy Director |
| Website | www.nsa.gov |
Thedirector of the National Security Agency (DIRNSA) is the highest-ranking official of theNational Security Agency, which is a defense agency within theU.S. Department of Defense. The director of the NSA also concurrently serves as the chief of theCentral Security Service (CHCSS) and as the commander ofU.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM). As the director of the NSA and the chief of the CSC, the officeholder reports to theunder secretary of defense for intelligence, and as the commander of U.S. Cyber Command, the officeholder reports directly to thesecretary of defense.
According to10 U.S.C. § 201 of theUnited States Code, the director of the NSA is recommended by the secretary of defense and nominated for appointment by thepresident. The nominee must be confirmed via majority vote by theSenate. In accordance with Department of Defense Directive 5100.20, dated 23 December 1971, the director of the NSA must always be a commissioned officer of the military services. As the assignment is currently part of a tri-hatted position, the director of the NSA is appointed to the grade of a four-stargeneral oradmiral during the period of his incumbency. The director'sdeputy is always a technically experienced civilian.[1]
TheArmed Forces Security Agency was the predecessor to the National Security Agency and existed from 1949 to 1952.
| No. | Director | Term | Service branch | President | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | |||
| 1 |  | Rear Admiral Earl E. Stone | 1949 | 1951 | 2 years |  U.S. Navy | Harry S. Truman |
| 2 |  | Major General Ralph Canine | 1951 | 1952 | 1 year |  U.S. Army | |
 | ||
%2c_1988.jpg)
.jpg)
