15 MARCH 2018
LTG PAUL M. NAKASONE
SSCI NOMINATION HEARING – OPENING REMARKS
Chairman Burr, Vice-Chairman Warner, and distinguished members of the Committee, I
am honored to testify here today for my nomination as Director of the National Security
Agency, and Chief, Central Security Service.
I want to thank President Trump, Secretary Mattis, Director Coats, and General Dunford
for their confidence in nominating me for these important positions.
I’d like to also thank my wife Susan for being here. I owe much of my success to her
love and support throughout nearly 25 years of marriage. Susan and I are joined today
by our children David and Joseph. We’re tremendously proud of them, as well as our
children Sarah and Daniel, who are away at college and couldn’t make it here today.
I want to thank Admiral Michael Rogers for his 36 years of commissioned service to our
Nation, and for leading NSA during a time of incredible transformation and rapid growth.
I thank him and his wife Dana for all they have done in service to our Nation.
I commissioned in the Army over 31 years ago as an intelligence officer, and for the
past three decades have served in intelligence and leadership positions both at home
and abroad, in peace and in war.
If confirmed for this position, this will be my fourth assignment to NSA. In my previous
assignments at the Agency, I have always been impressed by the phrases that greet
everyone who enters the building: “Defend the Nation; Secure the Future.” These
simple directives capture the absolutely critical role the National Security Agency serves
to support our military and senior policy makers while safeguarding our freedoms.
I know that the National Security Agency is a special member of our Intelligence
Community and of unique importance in the defense of our Nation. Throughout the
Agency’s 65 years of service, one constant has remained—the quality of the people
who work there. These men and women are national treasures and they are engaged in
missions that can only be called, one-of-a-kind. If confirmed, I know this workforce will
be the foundation of the NSA’s future and continued success. My focus will begin and
end with them.
Throughout my career, I have been both a generator and consumer of NSA intelligence
products, and know first-hand the critical role the Agency plays as both a combat
support and signals intelligence agency. The importance of delivering accurate, reliable,
and timely intelligence products cannot be overstated, and if confirmed I commit to

upholding the high reputation of the Agency as a provider of objective, mission-critical
signals intelligence in support of our military and our government.
I recognize that our Nation’s adversaries continue to pose threats and posture
themselves to reduce our global advantage. In light of this, the importance of an
effective National Security Agency continues to be paramount to our national defense.
I also recognize that we are at the edge of the technology frontier for our Nation. The
future that the next Director will face presents challenges and opportunities from rapid
technological evolution including machine learning, artificial intelligence, and quantum
computing, as well as the growing capabilities of the technology industry. If confirmed, I
know that a strong public-private partnership with our Nation’s private sector will be
needed to ensure this country benefits from the leading-edge technology being
developed and implemented today and into the future.
Finally, I recognize that this nomination is to lead both U.S. Cyber Command and the
NSA. Although the co-location and cooperation of the two powerful organizations has
been critical to their growth, I also see them as two unique entities, with their own
identities, authorities, and oversight mechanisms. I am committed to assessing the
needs of both to optimize their individual success in the best defense of our Nation.
If confirmed, I will ensure that the Agency’s intelligence customers can continue to rely
upon timely and accurate products, delivered with integrity, to ensure we maintain an
advantage over increasingly adaptive adversaries. Equally, I will always ensure the
National Security Agency upholds full compliance with our laws and the protection of
our Constitutional rights.
In closing, I am deeply honored to be considered for these leadership positions. If
confirmed, I look forward to working closely with this committee and the entire Congress
to ensure we leverage our opportunities and also address our challenges. Chairman
Burr, thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I look forward to answering
your questions.