President Biden announced his intent to nominate Michael Colin Casey on June 7 to serve as the next director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC).
If confirmed, Casey would take over the role from Michael Orlando, who has served as acting director of the NCSC since January 2021.
Orlando took over after William Evanina stepped down as director after six years at the helm of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) component that has the leading counterintelligence activities role in defending the intelligence collecting Federal government and private-sector entities that face the risk of attack by foreign adversaries.
Casey has served as the staff director for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence since 2016. In that role, he is responsible for overseeing the committee’s staff as they assist lawmakers in conducting oversight of the Intelligence Community’s operations. Additionally, he oversees the committee’s daily operations, including security operations and enhancements.
Previously, Casey served as a professional staff member on the House Armed Services Committee for over nine years. He has spent over 27 years on Capitol Hill in a variety of positions – the majority related to national security.
“Mike Casey is an excellent choice to lead ODNI’s National Counterintelligence and Security Center, with years of critical national security experience in a variety of roles,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement.
“If confirmed, he would bring that wealth of experience and expertise to ODNI’s leadership team. We would be lucky to have him leading the Intelligence Community’s work on some of the most fundamental and critical issues and threats we face,” she added.
