William Bolding Black Jr. (born August 25, 1936) is a former

Deputy Director of the National Security Agency The deputy director of the National Security Agency (DDIRNSA) is the highest-ranking civilian within the National Security Agency. As the senior civilian at NSA, the deputy director acts as the agency's chief operating officer A chief operati ...

Professional career

Early NSA career (1959–1997)

Black joined the

National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and proces ...

in 1959 as an operational linguist/analyst after three years in the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

. While employed at NSA, Black completed a wide variety of assignments including Special Assistant to the Director for

Information warfare Information warfare (IW) is the battlespace use and management of information and communication technology (ICT) in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent. It is different from ''cyberwarfare'' that attacks computers, software, and ...

; Chief A Group (Operations Analysis); Chief, NSA/CSS Representative Europe office (NCEUR); Associate Deputy Director for Operations/ Military Support; and he served as both Chief and Deputy Chief of a major field installation. As he worked his way up to Senior Cryptologic Executive Service, his primary focus was on building new organizations and creating new ways of doing business. Black retired from the NSA in 1997.

Vice President at SAIC (1997–2000)

In 1997 Black became Assistant Vice President and Director of Information Operations in the Advanced Technologies and Solutions Group of the

Science Applications International Corporation Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC) is an American technology company headquartered in Reston, Virginia that provides government services and information technology support. History 20th century The original SAIC was cr ...

(SAIC). At SAIC, Black led Information Operations research and worked with the Information Operations Technology Center to establish an Institute for the Analysis of Complex Systems to develop advanced techniques for the analysis of networks and critical infrastructures.

Deputy Director at NSA (2000–2006)

Black returned to the NSA in 2000 to become deputy director. Since 2002 he was overseeing the

Trailblazer Project Trailblazer was a United States National Security Agency (NSA) program intended to develop a capability to analyze data carried on communications networks like the Internet. It was intended to track entities using communication methods such as ce ...

, which was aimed at analyzing data on computer networks, and at tracking cell phone and email communications. In 2002, the main contract for Trailblazer, ultimately worth US$1.2 billion, had been awarded to Black's former employer

. In April 2005, the outgoing NSA director Michael Hayden told a Senate hearing that the Trailblazer program was several hundred million dollars over budget and years behind schedule. After Michael Hayden's promotion to Deputy

Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a Cabinet of the United States#Current Cabinet and Cabinet-rank officials, cabinet-level Federal government of the United States, United States government intelligence and security official. The p ...

, Black was acting Director of the NSA until the appointment of the new NSA director Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander. In August 2006, Black was replaced by John C. Inglis, and offered to take over the position as liaison officer to NSA's British intelligence counterpart. A native of

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, Black currently resides in

Pasadena, Maryland Pasadena is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 24,287 at the 2010 census. The areas of Lake Shore, Riviera Beach and Pasadena are collectively referred to as Pasadena by residen ...

with his wife Iris now deceased. They have three children.

Education

* 1979

National War College In the United States, the National War College (NWC) is a school within the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National ...

Fort McNair Fort Lesley J. McNair, also historically known as the Washington Arsenal, is a United States Army post located on the tip of Buzzard Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D ...

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

* 1978–79

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

Master's Program * 1971

University of Maryland at College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Universi ...

College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located approximately from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. Its population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the home of the University of Mary ...

Bachelor of Arts/Political Science (Soviet Area Studies) * 1957 U.S. Army Language School

Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...

(Russian language)

Assignments

* 2007 Retired * 2006–2007 Special U.S. Liaison Officer, London * 2000–2006 Deputy Director of the National Security Agency * 1997–2000 SAIC/Information Operations Advanced Technologies and Solutions Group * 1996–1997 Special Assistant to the Director for Information Warfare * 1992–1996 Chief of Operations Analysis, Group A * 1989–1992 Chief, NSA/CSS Representative Europe Office * 1987–1989 Associate Deputy Director for Operations/Military Support * 1986–1987 Chief of the Office of Collection Management * 1984–1986 Chief of a major field installation * 1982–1984 Deputy Chief of a major field installation * 1979–1982 Chief of Operations of a major field installation * 1975–1978 Chief of the Office of Customer Relations and Support to Military Operations Before 1975, Mr. Black served in various positions at NSA Headquarters, NSA European Headquarters, and

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...

Significant awards

* 2007 The NSA Bronze Medal * 2006

National Security Medal The National Security Medal is a decoration of the United States of America officially established by President Harry S. Truman in Executive Order 10431 of January 19, 1953. The medal was originally awarded to any person, without regard to natio ...

* 2006 3rd Exceptional Civilian Service Award * 2005 Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award * 2002 Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award * 1998 Joint Intelligence Unit Citation for Information Warfare Staff * 1997 2nd Exceptional Civilian Service Award * 1996

National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal The National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal (NIDSM) is a decoration awarded for service to the United States Intelligence Community. The decoration is awarded to any member or contributor to the National Intelligence Community, either ...

* 1992

Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award The Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award is the second highest career award presented by the Department of Defense. It is presented for exceptionally noteworthy service of major significance to the Department of Defense as a who ...

* 1986 Exceptional Civilian Service Award * 1984 Senior Executive Service Presidential Rank Award * 1974 Meritorious Civilian Service Award * 1959–80 Elevated through the ranks to the Senior Cryptologic Executive Service

Sources

Public domain biography from the NSA

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, William B. 1936 births Living people Analysts of the National Security Agency George Washington University alumni Deputy directors of the National Security Agency Defense Language Institute alumni People from Pasadena, Maryland People from New Mexico