“Michael D’Andrea has been revealed to be the Chief of the CIA’s Counter Terrorism Center for the last many years. He replaced Robert L. Grenier as head of CTC in 2006. He is well known as the originator of the CIA’s ‘Signature Strike’ drone operations around the world. He is depicted in the film — Zero Dark Thirty — as The Wolf.”

Cryptocomb (April 17 2014)

October 20 2021 — Michael D’Andrea, also known as the Dark Prince or Ayatollah Mike, oversaw the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the American drone strike campaign. From 2017 until recently, the very controversial CIA officer was running the C.I.A.’s Iran operations. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

RELATED POST: Three Years Ago — Meet Trump’s New Iran Man : CIA Michael D’Andrea

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“There have been rumors in recent weeks that Roger will soon depart as well, perhaps to retire, although similar speculation has surfaced nearly every year since he took the job.”

Greg miller (2012)

Mike d’Andrea had been granted waivers that allowed him to continue working at the CIA past the mandatory retirement age. But the agency declined his most recent retirement exception.

“They decided not to extend him again,” said a former senior CIA official. “It was basically, ‘Look, you’re not going to go any higher, we need new thinking, we need new people,’ and so they eased him out. He didn’t volunteer.”

Under D’Andrea’s watch, the CIA scored an epochal victory when it pinpointed Osama bin Laden to the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad; in 2011, Navy SEALs raided the compound and killed bin Laden.

According to former officials, the dark prince’s dedication to his work was unsurpassed, often pulling 12- or 14-hours days, seven days a week.

Remarkable endurance — In 2012, Greg Miller wrote:

Since becoming chief, Roger has worked for two presidents, four CIA directors and four directors of national intelligence.

In the top echelons of national security, only Robert S. Mueller III, who became FBI director shortly before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, has been in place longer.

Roger’s longevity is all the more remarkable, current and former CIA officials said, because the CTC job is one of the agency’s most stressful and grueling.

It involves managing thousands of employees, monitoring dozens of operations abroad and making decisions on who the agency should target in lethal strikes — all while knowing that the CTC director will be among the first to face blame if there is another attack on U.S. soil.

Most of Roger’s predecessors, including Cofer Black and Robert Grenier, lasted less than three years.

There have been rumors in recent weeks that Roger will soon depart as well, perhaps to retire, although similar speculation has surfaced nearly every year since he took the job.

Retirement day has finally come for the Dark Prince of Langley… who served at the highest level of the agency under five presidents, nine CIA directors and seven directors of national intelligence.

“A formidable adversary for the Iranians, therefore – as well as the Syrians – but it’s very odd we haven’t heard any more about him [Michael D’Andrea] for all these months. Isn’t he taking a serious interest in the latest events in Iran? Surely he is. That’s his job, isn’t it? But why this silence? Are we unable to connect any threads here? Is there perhaps, maybe, by chance alone, nudge-is-as-good-as-a-wink, some link between the “intelligence services” about whom poor old Khamenei waffles in Tehran and the “intelligence services” run by Michael D’Andrea, the man who must start “carrying out President Trump’s views”? I’m not at all sure that “the world is watching”. But it should be.”

Robert Fisk (January 2018)

REFERENCES

‘The grim reaper for the enemy’: CIA’s ‘legendary’ Iran chief forced to retire — Yahoo News

C.I.A. Names the ‘Dark Prince’ to Run Iran Operations, Signaling a Tougher Stance — NYT

Head of CIA’s CTC Michael A D’Andrea — Cryptocomb — April 17 2014

Why Won’t the Post Name CIA Counterterrorism Chief Michael D’Andrea? — Gawker

CIA official who directed hunt for bin Laden is being removed from post — WP March 25 2015

Zero Dark Thirty — Wikipedia

Spotlight on CIA’s Centers — CIA official website

The New York Times recklessly exposes a CIA operative’s identity — WP

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CIA legendary ‘Dark Prince’ forced to retire