Signals Intelligence in the Digital Age - A Conversation with George C. Barnes, Former NSA Deputy Director

On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, the Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project, Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and the Clements Center for National Security will host a public talk, “Signals Intelligence in the Digital Age - A Conversation with George C. Barnes, former NSA Deputy Director."

• Registration is RECOMMENDED. Registrants will receive any updates regarding the event.
• Lunch will be provided.
• Garage parking is available for a fee at the Manor Garage and the San Jacinto Garage. Parking will not be validated.

BIOGRAPHY

George C. Barnes served as the Deputy Director and senior civilian leader of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) from April 2017 through September 2023. In this role, Barnes served as NSA’s chief operating officer, overseeing strategy, policy, and operations. As an agency deputy in the U.S. national security system, Barnes supported the U.S. defense and intelligence enterprise in national security strategy execution and the formulation of supporting policies. He positioned NSA as an integrated mission partner enabling U.S. decision advantage and security against foreign threats. Over his 36-year career at the NSA, Barnes held numerous technical and organizational leadership roles spanning intelligence collection operations, intelligence target analysis, foreign liaison, industrial partnership management, workforce support activities, and global enterprise governance.

Barnes is currently the President of Red Cell Partners’ Cyber Practice and a Partner at the firm. In this role, he oversees the pursuit of start-up company incubations focused on cybersecurity opportunities spanning commercial and government sectors. He ensures optimized market gap responsiveness of new incubations and guides Red Cell’s platform team support as young cybersecurity companies progress through their early-stage business lifecycles. As a Red Cell Partner, Barnes applies his national security and cybersecurity domain expertise to Red Cell’s National Security and Healthcare Practice incubation activities and oversees the company’s overall cyber-related investment strategy.

Barnes received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland in 1986. In 2020, he was honored as a Distinguished Alumni by the University of Maryland’s College of Electrical and Computer Engineering.