Michael D'Andrea

Michael D'Andrea
A black and white photograph from the shoulders up of Micheal D'Andrea, a pale skinned man with dark short hair and glasses, wearing a suit and tie
Portrait of Micheal D'Andrea (circa 1969)
Central Intelligence Agency
Iran Mission Center
Director
In office
2017–2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byunknown
Succeeded byposition eliminated
Central Intelligence Agency Counterterrorism Center
Director
In office
2006–2015
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded byRobert Grenier
Succeeded byChris Wood
Personal details
Born1954 (age 69–70)
NationalityAmerican
SpouseFaridah Currimjee D'Andrea
ProfessionEspionage
Nicknames
  • "Ayatollah Mike"
  • "The Prince of Darkness"
  • "The Dark Prince"
  • "The Undertaker"
  • Roger (cover identity)

Michael D'Andrea (born 1954) is a retired Central Intelligence Agency officer who played an instrumental role in American counterterrorism efforts during the War on Terror. He served nine years as director of Counterterrorism Center (CTC), and held a major role in the manhunt for Osama bin Laden.[1] His 42-year career has been described as among the most consequential in the recent history of the CIA, and he has been called the most lethal leader in the U.S. government for his tenure.[2] He is widely credited with revolutionizing the CIA's terrorist-hunting efforts, and vastly expanding the program of targeted killings by drone strike used heavily against Al-Qaeda.[2][1] "If he was a combatant commander, he would have been sitting in the gallery for the State of the Union, he would have had all the accolades, and then some, that David Petraeus ever had," said one former senior CIA official. "He ran that war."[2]

In 2017 D'Andrea was appointed to head the agency's Iran Mission Center, one of the earliest moves in what became the 'maximum pressure' strategy of the Trump administration against Iran.[1] In January 2020, there were unverified reports of his death in a plane crash in Afghanistan. In 2021, the CIA acknowledged his forced retirement after a renewal of his mandatory retirement waiver was denied. Director of the CIA William J. Burns noted the "remarkable impact" of his career.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Rosenberg, Matthew; Goldman, Adam (June 2, 2017). "C.I.A. Names New Iran Chief in a Sign of Trump's Hard Line". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Dorfman, Zach (October 19, 2021). "'The grim reaper for the enemy': CIA's 'legendary' Iran chief forced to retire". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  3. ^ Barnes, Julian E. (2021-10-07). "C.I.A. Reorganization to Place New Focus on China". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-20.