The Department of Defense announced William (Bill) K. Lietzau as the new Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).

“Bill’s leadership experience within the military, government, and industry, combined with his role leading DCSA transformation efforts, make him the ideal candidate to hit the ground running and lead the DCSA,” said Joseph D. Kernan, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. “Bill understands the criticality of the background investigation and security mission, and the necessity to ensure a trusted workforce and protect critical defense information from theft or disclosure.”

Lietzau will replace Acting Director Charles Phalen Jr., who has been acting director since July 2019. Under Phalen’s leadership, the NBIB was successfully transferred from the Office of Personnel Management to the DOD on October 1, 2019. This transfer consolidated 95 percent of the federal vetting enterprise under a single agency in the DOD, says a news release. Additionally, he was instrumental in leading a workforce that spans the country to reduce the background investigation inventory backlog, improve processing timelines, and achieve a steady state level of clearances.

“I want to thank Charlie for his dedication and commitment to the DCSA mission, and for his willingness to lead the DCSA workforce through one of the largest organizational transfers in the Executive Branch and positioning the Agency for transformation while maintaining uninterrupted support for all of DOD and its government agency customers,” said Kernan.

DCSA is a strategic asset to the Nation and its allies – ensuring a trusted federal, industrial and affiliated workforce, and enabling industry's delivery of uncompromised capabilities by leveraging advanced technologies and innovation. The Agency uniquely blends critical technology protection, trusted personnel vetting, counterintelligence, and professional education to advance and preserve America's strategic edge.