[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 26 (Thursday, February 29, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S1466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO VICE ADM. J.M. (MIKE) McCONNELL

 Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, it is always an honor and a 
privilege to recognize the men and women of our Armed Forces who have 
diligently and faithfully maintained the security of this great Nation. 
We do this on Armed Forces Day and on Veteran's Day, but I believe 
everyone would agree that we do not recognize these individuals as 
frequently as their deeds would warrant. Today, I stand to recognize 
and pay tribute to one of the Nation's outstanding military leaders and 
unsung heroes, Vice Adm. Mike McConnell, Director of the National 
Security Agency [NSA], who will retire on March 1, 1996 after having 
unselfishly served his country for over 29 years.
  Vice Admiral McConnell's life is truly an American success story. 
Being the product of humble roots, he attended Furman University in 
Greenville, SC, also the place of his birth, and was commissioned as a 
line officer in the Navy in 1967. He served tours in Vietnam, Japan, 
the Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean as an intelligence officer before 
being nominated for flag rank and being selected as the Director for 
Joint Staff Intelligence, J-2. In this critical assignment, he served 
as the senior military intelligence advisor to the Secretary of Defense 
and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [CJCS]. Vice Admiral 
McConnell's leadership skills and expertise were immediately put to use 
to keep the Nation's senior policymakers informed of developments 
during the turmoil and revolutionary changes that swept the former 
Soviet Union during 1990. More important, however, were his 
contributions to the Nation during the 1991-92 Persian Gulf crisis. 
Vice Admiral McConnell's service to the Nation during the gulf war, 
which included keeping Gen. Colin Powell [CJCS] informed of all enemy 
activity, was instrumental in saving U.S. and coalition lives and 
directly contributed to bringing about a quick and decisive victory for 
allied forces. Realizing that Vice Admiral McConnell had much more to 
offer the Nation, the President recommended him for a two-star 
elevation to vice admiral and nominated him to serve as Director of the 
National Security Agency in 1992.
  Vice Admiral McConnell's greatest contributions to the Nation were 
yet to come. Becoming NSA's 13th Director in May 1992, he committed 
himself to ensuring that the United States had the world's best 
cryptologic organization. Vice Admiral McConnell streamlined NSA's 
operations while ensuring that the Agency had the requisite skills and 
resources to meet the quickly evolving technological challenges that 
faced the Nation. His candor and openness with the Congress and its 
oversight committees helped ensure that the Nation's legislators were 
well informed of the Agency's operations and how taxpayer dollars were 
being spent. Realizing that NSA's support saves lives, he also ensured 
that the Agency provided matchless support to every major military 
operation undertaken by the United States during his tenure. Most 
importantly, he crafted a strategy that will enable NSA to ensure that 
its people will remain its most critical resource.
  Mr. President, I close by stating that everyone who calls this great 
Nation home owed a debt of gratitude to Vice Admiral McConnell. He has 
quietly, yet dutifully, served the Nation during four different decades 
and under seven different Commanders in Chief. Those of us who have 
been fortunate enough to know him personally can attest to his 
dedication, peerless integrity, and unwavering loyalty to this Nation. 
It is with a sense of great pride and honor that I salute Vice Adm. 
Mike McConnell.

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