Paul Miki Nakasone (Japanese: 仲宗根 幹, born 19 November 1963)[2]: 2 [3][4] is a retiredfour-stargeneral in theUnited States Army who served as the commander ofUnited States Cyber Command. He concurrently served as thedirector of theNational Security Agency[5][6] and as chief of theCentral Security Service. Nakasone took command of theUnited States Second Army and Army Cyber Command in October 2016,[7] until the Second Army's inactivation in March 2017.[8] In May 2018, he became head of the National Security Agency, the Central Security Service, and the United States Cyber Command.[9]
He is on theboard of directors of WitnessAI andOpenAI.[10]
Born inWhite Bear Lake, Minnesota.[11][12] He is the son of Edwin M. Nakasone,[13] asecond-generation Japanese American[14] and a retired United States Army colonel who served in theMilitary Intelligence Service duringWorld War II, and Mary Anne Nakasone (née Costello).[3][4][15][16] His paternal grandparents came from Misato village in theNakagami District, Okinawa.[17]
Nakasone grew up inWhite Bear Lake, Minnesota, and attendedWhite Bear High School.[18][19][20] He is married to Susan S. (née Sternberg),[2]: 2 and has four (4) children.[3][18] Nakasone attendedSt. John's University, where he received a commission as military intelligence officer in 1986[21] through theArmy Reserve Officers' Training Corps program.[3][19] Nakasone also attended theUniversity of Southern California earning a M.S. in Systems Management,[22]theNational Defense Intelligence College, and theUnited States Army War College, earning Master's degrees from those institutions as well.[3][18][19][23] He also is a graduate of theUnited States Army Command and General Staff College.[7]
Nakasone has commanded at the company, battalion, and brigade levels.[18] He also served in foreign assignments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Korea, and has served as a senior intelligence officer at the battalion, division, and corps levels.[18] Nakasone served on theJoint Chiefs of Staff as deputy director for trans-regional policy in 2012 when he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and previously served as a staff officer for GeneralKeith B. Alexander.[3][24]
Prior to promotion to lieutenant general in 2016, Nakasone was the deputy commanding general of United States Army Cyber Command and later commander of the Cyber National Mission Force at Cyber Command.[18][7][25][26][27] Nakasone has twice served as astaff officer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was the director of intelligence,J2, for theInternational Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.[18] On 14 October 2016, he took command of the United States Second Army and United States Army Cyber Command.[18][7] Nakasone was also given control of United States Cyber Command's Joint Task Force-ARES, a task-force designed to coordinate electronic counter-terrorist activities against theIslamic State.[7][28] He served as commander of the Second Army until it was inactivated for the fourth time in its history on 31 March 2017, and continued to serve as commander of United States Army Cyber Command.[8]
In January 2018, it was reported that Nakasone was on the list of potential replacements for outgoingNSA DirectorMichael S. Rogers.[29] In February 2018, he was nominated for promotion togeneral.[30] In April 2018, Nakasone was unanimously confirmed by theUnited States Senate asdirector of the National Security Agency and head of the United States Cyber Command.[31] He was also promoted to the rank of general. In May 2022, Nakasone was asked to remain as the head of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency until 2023.[32] In those roles, he has attracted attention for disclosing that the U.S. government took unspecified cyber offensive action againstransomware gangs operating outside the United States that targeted American infrastructure,[33] as well as against Russian targets associated with the invasion ofUkraine.[34]
Nakasone retired from the military on 1 February 2024.[35] GeneralTimothy D. Haugh succeeded him as Director of the NSA and head of Cyber Command.
On 14 February 2024, Nakasone published an opinion article in theWashington Post, arguing for Congress to re-approve theForeign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was due to expire in spring 2024.[36] Congress reauthorized the bill on 20 April, hours before it would have expired.
In May 2024, Nakasone was named Founding Director ofVanderbilt University's new Institute of National Security. Nakasone will also hold a Research Professorship within Vanderbilt's School of Engineering, as well as serving as special advisor to the chancellor.[37] Also in May 2024, Nakasone was elected to the board of trustees ofSaint John's University, his alma mater.[38] Nakasone was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree fromDartmouth College in 9 June 2024.[39]
Nakasone joined the board ofOpenAI in June 2024.[40]
In June 2025, Nakasone spoke at theWORLD.MINDS meeting in Washington DC about China, AI and the transatlantic relationship.[41]
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