Director of the National Security Agency

The Director of the National Security Agency (DIRNSA) is the highest-ranking official of the National Security Agency, which is a defense agency within the U.S. Department of Defense. The director of the NSA also concurrently serves as the chief of the Central Security Service (CHCSS) and as the commander of U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM). As the director of the NSA and the chief of the CSC, the officeholder reports to the under secretary of defense for intelligence, and as the commander of U.S. Cyber Command, the officeholder reports directly to the secretary of defense.

Director of the National Security Agency
Flag of the National Security Agency
Incumbent Lieutenant General William J. Hartman Acting  since 3 April 2025
National Security Agency
Status	Chief Executive
Reports to	Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Director of National Intelligence Secretary of Defense
Seat	Fort Meade, Maryland
Nominator	Secretary of Defense
Appointer	President with Senate advice and consent
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 201
Precursor	Director of the Armed Forces Security Agency
Formation	1952
First holder	MG Ralph Canine, USA
Deputy	Deputy Director
Website	www.nsa.gov

According to 10 U.S.C. § 201 of the United States Code, the director of the NSA is recommended by the secretary of defense and nominated for appointment by the president. The nominee must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate. 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-star general or admiral during the period of his incumbency. The director's deputy is always a technically experienced civilian.^[1]

AFSA directors

The Armed 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

NSA directors

No.	Director		Term			Service branch	President
	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Term length
1		Lieutenant General Ralph Canine	1952	1956	4 years	U.S. Army	Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower
2		Lieutenant General John Samford	1956	1960	4 years	U.S. Air Force	Dwight D. Eisenhower
3		Vice Admiral Laurence Frost	1960	1962	3 years	U.S. Navy	Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy
4		Lieutenant General Gordon Blake	1962	1965	3 years	U.S. Air Force	John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson
5		Lieutenant General Marshall Carter	1965	1969	4 years	U.S. Army	Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon
6		Vice Admiral Noel Gayler	1969	1972	3 years	U.S. Navy	Richard Nixon
7		Lieutenant General Samuel C. Phillips	1972	1973	1 year	U.S. Air Force
8		Lieutenant General Lew Allen	1973	1977	4 years	U.S. Air Force	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter
9		Vice Admiral Bobby Ray Inman	1977	1981	4 years	U.S. Navy	Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan
10		Lieutenant General Lincoln Faurer	1981	1985	4 years	U.S. Air Force	Ronald Reagan
11		Lieutenant General William Odom	1985	1988	3 years	U.S. Army
12		Vice Admiral William Studeman	1988	1992	4 years	U.S. Navy	Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush
13		Vice Admiral John M. McConnell	1992	1996	4 years	U.S. Navy	George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton
14		Lieutenant General Kenneth A. Minihan	1996	1999	3 years	U.S. Air Force	Bill Clinton
15		Lieutenant General Michael Hayden	21 March 1999	21 April 2005	6 years, 31 days	U.S. Air Force	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
16		General Keith B. Alexander[2]	1 August 2005	28 March 2014	8 years, 239 days	U.S. Army	George W. Bush Barack Obama
17		Admiral Michael S. Rogers	2 April 2014	4 May 2018	4 years, 32 days	U.S. Navy	Barack Obama Donald Trump
18		General Paul M. Nakasone	4 May 2018	2 February 2024	5 years, 274 days	U.S. Army	Donald Trump Joe Biden
19		General Timothy D. Haugh	2 February 2024	3 April 2025[3]	1 year, 60 days	U.S. Air Force	Joe Biden Donald Trump
–		Lieutenant General William J. Hartman	3 April 2025[3]	Incumbent	11 days	U.S. Army	Donald Trump