Statement for the Record
Michael C. Casey
Nominee for the position of the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center
7 July 2023
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice Chairman, members of the Committee, I am honored to appear before
you as the nominee to be the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.
I am deeply grateful to President Biden for nominating me for this position and to Director of
National Intelligence Haines for her recommendation.
Like all of us, I am only here because of the support and efforts of others. I would like to thank
in particular, my parents, Robert and Carol Casey, for raising my brother, sister, and me and
instilling in us a desire to do the right thing, work hard, and make a difference. My father passed
away last year, but without the example he set for me throughout his life, I would not be here.
I would also like to thank those Senators and members of the House who brought me onto
Capitol Hill, and in multiple different, but important ways provided examples of what dedicated
public service looks like. I began my service 28 years ago in the House, working for
Representative Carrie Meek and then Representative Vic Snyder. From them I learned what
members dedicated to helping their constituents and making hard decisions look like. Chairman
Ike Skelton asked me to join the House Armed Services Committee and entrusted me with
responsibilities far in excess of what I deserved. Ranking Member Adam Smith, one of the
smartest members of the House, provided a constant example of how the best members struggle
with the difficult issues and do their best to make the right choices for the country.
Seven and a half years ago, Senator Feinstein asked me to join the staff of this Committee as the
then Minority Staff Director. I remain deeply grateful to her for giving me that opportunity.
I would like to especially single out Chairman Warner for thanks. He kept me on as his staff
director when he ascended first to Vice Chairman and then Chairman of the committee. As
everyone here knows, he is one of the most energetic and dedicated members of the Senate,
constantly interested in pushing to find new ways to do more to help the country, often much
faster than the Senate, or the entire US Government, is currently capable of handling. Thank
you for never accepting that there are limits of what can be accomplished, if only you push a
little more.
I have been fortunate to serve as a member of two excellent committee staffs—that of the House
Armed Services Committee and now that of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. From
the moment I started to the day I left, I never stopped learning from the other staff members on
HASC who were always among the most professional and experienced staff members I ever met.
Serving as the Minority Staff Director and now Staff Director of this committee has been one of
the greatest honors of my life. It has not always been a smooth ride, but the staff, on both sides
of the aisle, have struggled to always do it “right” and provide bipartisan, effective oversight of

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the Intelligence Community, almost always in ways that the public will never hear about, but
would appreciate deeply if they did.
I would be remiss if I did not thank the current and former members of this committee for their
work also. Joining SSCI is often thankless, resisted by your personal offices and campaign staff,
and no one who isn’t dedicated to ensuring US national security would ever agree to do it.
Former Chairman Burr probably provided the best example of this, dedicating almost his entire
time in Congress to serving on the Intelligence Committees, spending untold hours with the men
and women in the IC, and working constantly to make it better.
Finally, I would like to thank the men and women of the Capitol Police who guard the doors of
the committee and, more importantly, become part of the SSCI community. This committee
could not function without them, and we do not remember that enough.
I have spent my entire professional life in public service on Capitol Hill, working almost
exclusively on national security issues, from the War in Iraq, to Afghanistan, terrorism, Iran
sanctions, to covert action and the other important matters this committee works on, but can
never talk about.
I am particularly proud of the work this committee undertook, in which I played a small part, to
investigate the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 election. When we began
the effort, I don’t think we envisioned that it would take 3 and a half years and become the
definitive counterintelligence look at that episode.
As it turns out, counterintelligence has become a growth business for this committee, and the
entire country, as we face an unprecedented level of threats from foreign actors. In addition to
the “traditional” intelligence threat posed by Russia and other foreign intelligence services
dedicated to stealing the government’s secrets, a broad array of other actors has emerged that
require addressing. China’s ongoing, and massive, effort to steal US intellectual property and
that of our allies threatens the basis of our past success and economic future. North Korea has
become a center of hacking for profit, at the same time as Iran has expanded its own cyber
capability as well as shown its capability in traditional espionage. And of course, nongovernment groups like hackers not only steal for profit, but we have seen them rent or lend their
services to hostile governments.
These threats, and the many others I did not name, will only be exacerbated by emerging
technology. We’re already seeing how artificial intelligence can enhance malign influence
efforts and potentially assist hackers in their efforts. Other such technologies, like quantum or
synthetic biology or autonomous systems, could have similar impacts. At the same time, those
emerging technologies and many others, like advanced energy, are essential for the economy of
the future and continued US success in the world.
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center at ODNI sits at the center of many of the
efforts to combat these threats and protect emerging technology, leading and supporting critical
counterintelligence and security efforts across the IC, the US government, and even the private
sector. The Director of the NCSC serves as the National Intelligence Manager for

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Counterintelligence and provides direct support to the DNI for the execution of the Security
Executive Agent authorities across the executive branch. NCSC supports the National Insider
Threat Task Force. NCSC also plays key roles in educating the private sector and the public
about counterintelligence threats and works to identify and mitigate supply chain risks for the IC
and the US government at large. And I would be entirely remiss if I didn’t specifically call out
the key role NCSC has in driving the issue of security clearance reform.
If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed as Director of the National Counterintelligence and
Security Center, I will:
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Seek to enhance the important role NCSC plays in ensuring that our nation’s
counterintelligence efforts are integrated and effective to detect, understand, anticipate,
and hopefully deter foreign intelligence efforts;
Continue the important work begun by my predecessors and strongly encouraged by this
committee to reform the security clearance process, ensuring that we can onboard
personnel more quickly, implement continuous evaluation, and ensure reciprocity among
US government agencies;
Support and enhance ongoing efforts across the USG to protect our supply chains,
especially in the digital space; and
Continue the important work started by my predecessors and this committee to educate
the private sector and academia on the threats they face from foreign actors and to help
those private sector and academic institutions protect themselves from these threats.

Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice Chairman, Members of the Committee—thank you again for your
consideration of my nomination. I look forward to your questions.

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