National Security Agency (NSA) Deputy Director and Massachusetts native Barbara McNamara recently received the highest honor within the United States Intelligence Community for her almost four decades of service to the country. Miss McNamara was presented the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal by George J. Tenet Director of Central Intelligence in a ceremony on June 28 2000. The medal which is awarded on a very selective basis recognizes superior achievements of senior intelligence personnel over a sustained period that have contributed significantly to the United States' foreign intelligence mission.
"I am pleased to join the National Security Agency in honoring a true leader of American Intelligence a legend in the Intelligence Community who is a woman of character and accomplishment " Tenet said.
The medal recognizes Miss McNamara's contributions to NSA that have been crucial to the Agency's success in providing outstanding intelligence and information assurance support to the nation. According to the citation Miss McNamara epitomizes a leader in the Intelligence Community whose interest in and ability to forge cooperative alliances among intelligence agencies and foreign partners has created an agency that better serves the needs of warfighters and policy customers.
"She has been instrumental in ensuring that NSA and our Intelligence Community are strategically focused on the future " Tenet said. "No one is more dedicated to - or has thought more searchingly about - NSA than Barbara McNamara. Fewer still have contributed as much to NSA's past successes or have done as much to prepare it for the future."
During her career at NSA Miss McNamara has held numerous key positions and achieved several milestones. She received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 1988 the Meritorious SCE Rank Award in 1989 the Exceptional Civilian Service Award in 1994 and the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award in 1995. Also in that year she became the first female Deputy Director for Operations the highest position in Operations. She was appointed to the position of NSA Deputy Director on October 28 1997 becoming the second female Deputy Director in the Agency's history.
In June 2000 Miss McNamara assumed the assignment of Special United States Liaison Officer London England where she is responsible to the Director of NSA for representing NSA in its relationships with United Kingdom authorities including the Government Communications Headquarters the cryptologic organization of the UK.