Joseph M. Tonon named Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency

QUANTICO, Va. - Under Secretary of War for Intelligence and Security (USW I&S), The Honorable Bradley Hansell, has selected Joseph M. Tonon, Ph.D. as the next Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.

As Director, Dr. Tonon will lead the agency's core responsibilities focused on illuminating risk to enable decisions that advance national security. He will oversee personnel vetting and industrial security for critical elements of the government and more than 10,000 companies and 12,500 facilities in the National Industrial Security Program, while also providing security training and counterintelligence support for these critical areas. A key priority will be directing the continued development and deployment of the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS), the IT system supporting the federal government's Trusted Workforce 2.0 personnel vetting reform efforts.

Most recently, Dr. Tonon worked for Amazon Web Services, where he was part of the Global Defense team. He has extensive private-sector and government experience. Past assignments include Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict and Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, where he advised the Deputy on a range of technical and programmatic issues.

While on the Secretary of Navy staff, Dr. Tonon led a successful effort to prevent the loss of critical data and technology from the Department of the Navy and the defense industrial base. At the behest of the Secretary and Deputy, he generalized and expanded the effort into the Protecting Critical Technology Task Force.

Dr. Tonon has numerous awards and decorations from his time in uniform and as a civil servant. These include the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service, the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal. He has a doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor's degree from the University of Rochester.