The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) has announced that its director, David Cattler, is slated to leave the agency on Sept. 30.
Cattler has served as the intelligence agency’s director since March 2024 where he has led DCSA’s “strategic transformation and maturation,” according to the Defense Department, and has overseen a workforce of 15,000 Federal and contract workers.
“Leading DCSA and serving alongside its extraordinary workforce has been the greatest honor of my career,” said Cattler in a post on LinkedIn announcing his planned departure. “I’m proud of the mission, the partnerships we’ve strengthened, and the trust placed in us to secure the nation’s most sensitive information, people, and technologies.”
DCSA has not yet named a successor.
“The agency’s leadership team and workforce are strong, and together they will continue to drive DCSA’s strategy and momentum forward,” DCSA said in a statement.
While heading the agency, Cattler oversaw the launch of the DCSA 2025-2030 Strategic Plan which “stabilized and reimagined the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) acquisition program, and reinvigorated and strengthened across the U.S. government, Defense Industrial Base, and cleared academia.”
DCSA also noted that Cattler is still working to “complete a major reorganization to position the Agency for future success in fiscal year 2026.”
Before serving at DCSA, Cattler was the assistant secretary general for intelligence and security at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, served as the deputy assistant to the president for regional affairs within the National Security Council, and was a senior advisor to the Director of National Intelligence in multiple roles.
Cattler additionally supported combat operations while directing counterterrorism efforts as the Joint Staff’s deputy director for intelligence.
While he did not provide details on his future plans, Cattler said he is “looking forward to new ways to contribute” in “strategic advisory work, board service, and supporting organizations at the intersection of security, technology, and global affairs.”