On January 2, 2019, NSI Advisory Board member Ellen McCarthy was confirmed to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research (INR). Ms. McCarthy served as President of Noblis NSP between 2016 – 2018 and previously served as Chief Operating Officer of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), where she oversaw NGA’s daily business activities and advised the Director of NGA on a range of issues, including strategic planning and corporate governance. Before joining NGA, Ms. McCarthy served as President of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), where she also recently served on the Board of Directors. Ms. McCarthy also previously served as Director of the Human Capital Management Office and the Acting Director of Security within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, where she developed and deployed the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS), as well as in multiple intelligence roles in the United States Navy (USN) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), including as Director of Intelligence Operations, Strategy and Policy for the USCG.
“Ellen McCarthy is a fearless, independent leader who will be a tremendous asset to the State Department and the Intelligence Community writ large,” said Jamil N. Jaffer, Founder of GMU’s National Security Institute. “Ellen arrives at the State Department at a time when the Intelligence Community is under fire from all sides, and when our enemies have seen unprecedented success in conducting covert and overt intelligence operations against our nation and its population. Ellen brings the right mix of experience, deep knowledge about the threats we face, and a willingness to be candid and direct when needed, alongside a get-it-done attitude that can help the Secretary and the Director of National Intelligence turn the tide back in our direction,” said Jaffer, who also previously served as Chief Counsel and Senior Advisor to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
INR is a bureau of the Department of State and a member of the Intelligence Community, whose primary mission is to harness intelligence to serve U.S. diplomacy. INR is a direct descendant of the Office of Strategic Services Research Department and is the oldest civilian intelligence element in the U.S. Government. INR provides independent analysis of events to State Department policymakers and ensures that intelligence activities support foreign policy and national security purposes.
Ms. McCarthy’s bio can be found here. More information on INR can be found here.
