Statement to Employees by Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Mike Hayden on the Associate Director for Military Affairs

July 10, 2008



Major General John T. Brennan, our Associate Director for Military Affairs, has announced his intention to retire from the Air Force after 32 years of distinguished service. He will conclude his assignment at CIA on 1 August.

For the past two and a half years, John has led one of our defining missions: to provide accurate, insightful, and actionable intelligence to military commanders and warfighters. He has been our Agency’s principal bridge to DoD. John deserves great credit for the advances we have made in supporting the troops on the ground and integrating our powerful capabilities with those of the military. Secretary Gates said recently that “there has never been a better fusion of military operations and intelligence in the history of warfare.” John helped get us there while building a strong new ADMA organization during his tenure. Please join me in thanking him for his important contributions to America’s security, both through his work at CIA and in his previous posts of duty.

On 2 August, Major General Mark A. Welsh III, USAF, will become our new ADMA. Mark comes to CIA after serving as Vice Commander, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, and, before that, as Deputy Commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance for U.S. Strategic Command. Mark entered the Air Force in 1976 as a graduate of the Air Force Academy, where he would later serve as Commandant of Cadets. He is a command pilot with more than 3,200 flying hours and has held a wide variety of operational, command, and staff positions.

CIA has been fortunate to have talented officers guiding our relationship with the United States Armed Forces. When he arrives, Mark will find a very sound foundation on which to build. Our collaboration with the military will be in very good hands as we continue to strengthen this vital partnership.

Mike Hayden