Many seek to stay out of the line of fire – others step into it. General Paul M. Nakasone became Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Service in May 2018, stepping into the hellfire of securing cyberspace. The general has a deep understanding of the relentless pace of securing the cyber domain. He has constantly stoked the fire in his command to understand and continuously seize and maintain the upper hand to combat the persistent – and constantly morphing – cyber threats.
Nakasone works to help his command and the broader population understand how our adversaries leverage their advantage to degrade our sources of national power. And he has moved his strategy away from a response force to a persistent force so that they can always be engaging with adversaries. He has also developed and nurtured strong partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and even the private sector to share information and intelligence.
Previously, Nakasone commanded U.S. Army Cyber and the Cyber National Mission Force at U.S. Cyber Command. He has also commanded a company, battalion, and brigade, and served as the senior intelligence officer at the battalion, division and corps levels.
The general served in Joint and Army assignments in the United States, the Republic of Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan. His most recent overseas posting was as the Director of Intelligence, J2, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Kabul, Afghanistan.