NEWS

In his book The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in the Age of Lies, the former intelligence chief describes

General Michael Hayden, The Chertoff Grou

how the intelligence community is being threatened by individuals, including the US President, who are making strong allegations that are not factually based. He also addresses the changes that need to be made to preserve democracy, which he believes is at risk due to the current political climate.

As former head of the US’ premier intelligence agencies, General Hayden has been on the frontline of global change, the war on terrorism and the growing cyber challenge. He understands the dangers, risks, and potential rewards of the political, economic, and security situations facing us. Hayden dissects political situations in hot spots around the world, analysing the tumultuous global environment and what it all means for Americans and America’s interests.

In addition to leading CIA and NSA, General Hayden was the US’ first principal deputy director of national intelligence and the highest-ranking military intelligence officer in the country. Throughout his career, General Hayden has worked to put a human face on American intelligence, explaining the role of espionage in protecting both American security and American liberty.

He has been a frequent expert and commentator on major news outlets and in top publications, valued for his expertise on intelligence matters like cyber security, government surveillance, geopolitics, and more.

In his newly released book, Hayden also explores the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election. According to an article on the Washington Post 17 July, Hayden said the US President has been absent in giving direct guidance on how to handle this issue.

– As good as it is, it’s not good enough. This is not a narrowly defined cyberthreat. This is one of the most significant strategic national security threats facing the United States since 9/11, Hayden commented. – The Russian assault on the U.S. election was an attack from an unexpected direction against a previously unappreciated weakness. It hit a seam between law enforcement and intelligence, between ‘sigint’ [electronic spying] and ‘humint’ [human spying], between state and federal agencies, between politics and policy. The government had no agency, no plan or strategy to counter such a threat.

General Michael Hayden will share his perspectives in the Conference session “100 % cyber secure – Is it utopia?”, Wednesday 29 August. Marianne Aas, Head of Section, Norwegian National Security Authority, will moderate the session.