Later, her facility with languages landed her a job overseas during the first Gulf War, where she worked with other government partners.
Ms. Haspel’s first posting as a Chief of Station soon followed. She ran a small Station in an exotic and tumultuous capital.
The skepticism of some of her male colleagues was obvious, with comments like, "I can't believe they're sending you to a place like that." She quickly proved her doubters wrong.
One night, Ms. Haspel received word that two terrorists linked to an embassy bombing, were coming to the country where she was stationed. She swiftly put together an operation that led to the terrorists' arrest and imprisonment, along with the seizure of computers that carried details of a terrorist plot. For her work, she received the George H.W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counterterrorism.
With the fight against al-Qa'ida heating up, Ms. Haspel requested a transfer to CIA's Counter Terrorism Center (CTC). Her first day on the job was September 11, 2001. She walked in amid the commotion, sat down at a computer, and got to work. She didn't let up for three years, often working seven days a week.
Before being named Deputy Director of CIA in 2017, Gina Haspel held a series of senior jobs, including Chief of Staff to the Deputy Director for Operations, Chief of Station in the capital of a major US ally, and Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service (now the Directorate of Operations). Through it all, she led with compassion, integrity, discipline, and humor — traits she learned from her Agency mentors.
DDCIA Haspel is a Directorate of Operations veteran, but her assignments over three decades have brought her into close partnerships with officers across the Agency. She speaks with pride about how senior administration officials, from the President down, ask to hear from CIA's analysts before making a decision. As a former Chief of Station, she calls the work of the Directorate of Support the "gold standard" for the US Government. And she marvels at the accomplishments of the Directorate of Science and Technology and the Directorate of Digital Innovation.
"Getting to work with these officers is the greatest part of the job," she says. "They are the silent warriors who work ceaselessly to protect America."
As the first woman to rise from the ranks to become Deputy Director — and now the first woman to be nominated as CIA Director — DDCIA Haspel says she owes her success to the colleagues she has served with over the years. They include the extraordinary sisterhood in CTC that brought their passion and drive to the fight to bring down al-Qa'ida; the mentors, role models, and close friends who supported and believed in her throughout her career.
Gina Haspel spent much of her life serving her country around the world, but she's never forgotten where she comes from. Her office has a number of mementos from her time overseas — along with a five-foot-tall poster of Johnny Cash as a symbol of American individualism.
Pages: 1 · 2
More Articles
- National Archives Foundation: Archives Experience, A Republic, If You Can Keep It
- Journalist's Resource: Religious Exemptions and Required Vaccines; Examining the Research
- Jill Norgren Reviews a New Inspector Gamache Mystery: All the Devils Are Here
- Jo Freeman: How to Debate a Bully
- Supreme Court Surprises The Public in LGBTQ Ruling: What is Sex Discrimination?
- The Uber and Lyft of Dog Walking Fight State Oversight
- An Example of Whistleblower Rights and Protections from the US Department of Justice
- Going Forth On the Fourth After Strict Blackout Conditions and Requisitioned Gunpowder Had Been the Law
- Swedish Parental Leave Policies: Parents are Entitled to 480 Days of Paid Parental Leave When a Child is Born or Adopted
- If You're Looking For A Link To the Mueller Report, Look No Further
