WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has chosen Matthew Olsen to be the next director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
Olsen is general counsel at the National Security Agency and has an extensive background in criminal justice at high levels of the federal government.
Olsen would replace Michael Leiter, a former Navy fighter pilot who is resigning after 4½ years on the job under Obama and President George W. Bush.
The director's position is subject to Senate confirmation.
The National Counterterrorism Center, established after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, is the primary agency charged with analyzing and integrating counterterrorism intelligence.
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