65 Michael Hayden Quotes for You to Enjoy

Michael Hayden

American Public Servant

Born: Mar 17, 1945

American CIA Government Intelligence People You

Related authors: Andrew Yang Ben Bernanke Betsy DeVos Clara Barton Elizabeth Warren Hope Hicks Jerome Powell Jim Mattis

The arc of technology is in the direction of unbreakable encryption, and no laws are going to get in the way of that reality. Michael Hayden

Technology Reality Way Arc Laws Direction Encryption Get Going

All enterprises and major players need to pay attention to the needs of the government of the country of which they are a part. At one level, it would be unconscionable for a company like Huawei not to be responsive to Chinese national-security needs. Michael Hayden

I think the Sino-American relationship is the most important geo-strategic question facing us. Michael Hayden

Relationship Important Think Facing Most Question The Most Important Us

I have spent my adult life working in American intelligence. It has been quite an honor. Generally well resourced. A global mission. No want of issues. And it was a hell of a ride. Michael Hayden

Life Intelligence Ride Honor Hell Spent Has-Been Adult Adult Life Generally Global Mission Well Issues Been American Quite Want Working

I don't know if the European Union contributes a great deal to espionage. At the union level, they talk about commerce and privacy. But to keep citizens safe, that remains a responsibility back in national capitals. Michael Hayden

There is an unarguable downside to unbreakable encryption. Michael Hayden

Encryption Downside

As director of CIA, I was responsible for everything done in the agency's name, and it didn't matter whether that was done by an agency employee, a government contractor, a liaison service on our behalf, or a source on our behalf. Michael Hayden

Service Government Director CIA Matter Our Everything Responsible Name Employee Source Contractor Behalf Done Whether Agency

'End strength' - the total number of government employees you can have at the end of the year. That's a separate exercise and requires independent energy, independent effort with the Congress to get the ceiling of your government employees raised. Michael Hayden

Government Strength You Employees Year Energy Congress Independent Total Exercise End Ceiling Effort Get Separate Requires Your Raised Number

George Tenet was actually a very strong centralizing force. If you met George by personality, George met with the president six days out of seven: nontrivial attribute inside the federal government. And George was head of the CIA. Michael Hayden

We live inside a democracy, and you know, public will matters in a democracy. I just hope it's informed public will, and frankly, when the decisions are made, you understand the costs. Michael Hayden

Hope Democracy You Will Made Matters Live Frankly Inside Costs Know Understand Just Informed Decisions Public

When I became director of CIA, it was just clear to me intuitively, without a whole lot of science behind it, that we had expanded rapidly and inefficiently. So I arbitrarily picked a number, 10 percent, and I said over the next 12 months, we are going to reduce our reliance on contractors by 10 percent. Michael Hayden

Me Director Science CIA Our Months Reliance Rapidly Intuitively Percent Had Picked Clear Over Became Without Said Reduce Lot Contractors Going Behind Just Next Whole Number

Our nation counts on us to have the expertise and the insight to flag the risks and the opportunities that lie ahead, and to keep our eye on all the critical international concerns that face our nation right now. Michael Hayden

Risks Lie Opportunities Face Nation Our Eye Critical Insight Counts Concerns Flag Expertise Us International Keep Now Right

Responsibility demands action, and dealing with the immediate threat must naturally be a top priority. Michael Hayden

Responsibility Action Top Immediate Must Threat Demands Dealing Priority Naturally

What Edward Snowden did amounted to the greatest hemorrhaging of legitimate American secrets in the history of my nation. Michael Hayden

History Nation Secrets Greatest Edward American Did Snowden The History Of Legitimate

Access to the security clearance database would disgorge even more detailed personal information, including the foreign contacts of American officials. Michael Hayden

Security Would Detailed Database More Contacts Clearance Access Foreign American Personal Officials Personal Information Information Even Including

I blame the Russians for a lot, but pinning the creation of ISIS on them is a murky, tenuous, triple-carom bank shot at best. Michael Hayden

Best Blame Creation Russians Lot Bank Them Shot Murky

A significant U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan has been continuous since October 2001, and President Obama's short-lived 'surge' in 2009 was a continuation of his predecessor's buildup there. Michael Hayden

President Has-Been Significant Obama Troop Since Surge October Continuation Been His Continuous Afghanistan Predecessor Short-Lived Presence

President Obama came to office with a strong belief that America had overreached, that we had become too involved. It matched the national mood, and indeed, there was some evidence that it was true. Michael Hayden

Strong Become National Too President President Obama Indeed Evidence Mood Obama Some Had True Involved Matched Came Office America Belief

I've often said that the ISIS-Syria-Iraq mess is about as bad as it could be. Michael Hayden

Bad About Could Mess Said Often

My life experience confirms that the U.S. government frequently overclassifies data. But that's a stronger argument for not dumping large volumes of government traffic on an unclassified personal server than it is a justification for retroactively challenging classification decisions. Michael Hayden

Politicization - the shading of analysis to fit prevailing policy or politics - is the harshest criticism one can make of an intelligence organization. It strikes beyond questions of competence to the fundamental ethic of the enterprise, which is, or should be, truth telling. Michael Hayden

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