Lincoln D . Faurer Lieutenant General Lincoln D . Faurer ( born February 7 , 1928 ) was director of the National Security Agency and chief of the Central Security Service from 1981 to 1985 . Biography . Faurer was born in 1928 in Medford , Massachusetts . He graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia in 1945 and attended Cornell University . He graduated from the United States Military Academy , West Point , New York , in 1950 with a bachelor of science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant . He received a master ' s degree in engineering management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , New York , in 1964 . General Faurer completed the National War College at Fort Lesley J . McNair , Washington , D . C . , in 1968 and concurrently earned a master ' s degree in international affairs from The George Washington University , also in Washington , D . C . After graduation from the academy , General Faurer attended flying schools at Goodfellow Air Force Base , Texas , and Vance Air Force Base , Oklahoma , and received his pilot wings in August 1951 . He completed B - 29 pilot training at Randolph Air Force Base , Texas , in January 1952 and was then assigned to the 308th Bombardment Wing at Forbes Air Force Base , Kansas . In May 1952 he moved with the wing to Hunter Air Force Base , Georgia . From April 1953 to September 1955 , General Faurer flew weather reconnaissance flights in WB - 29s with the 56th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Yokota Air Base , Japan . After aerial observer training at James Connally Air Force Base , Texas , Faurer returned to Forbes Air Force Base in May 1956 as an RB - 47 aircraft commander with the 320th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron . In May 1958 he transferred to Headquarters 90th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing , also at Forbes , as chief of the Training Procedures Section . He began his career in the missile and space fields in August 1959 when he was assigned to Headquarters 2nd Air Force , Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana , serving successively as an operations officer in the Missile Section ; guided missiles operations officer ; and chief , Missile Branch in the Training Division , Directorate of Operations . While at Barksdale he was associated with the 2nd Air Force ' s growing inventory of intercontinental ballistic missiles : Atlas D , E , F ; Titan II ; and Minuteman I . He attended the graduate engineer management program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from June 1963 to July 1964 . After graduation he was assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington , D . C . , in the Directorate of Scientific and Technical Intelligence , and served as a technical intelligence officer ; development engineer ; and later as chief , Space Systems Division , in the Missiles and Space Office until July 1967 . Upon graduation from the National War College in July 1968 , General Faurer was named director of current operations , 14th Aerospace Force at Ent Air Force Base , Colorado . He then served as commander , 16th Surveillance Squadron at Shemya Air Force Base , Alaska , from August 1969 to September 1970 , when he was appointed commander of the 71st Missile Warning Wing at McGuire Air Force Base , New Jersey . General Faurer was assigned as director , J - 2 , United States Southern Command , Canal Zone , in July 1971 , and in June 1973 transferred to Headquarters U . S . Air Force , Washington , D . C . , for duty as deputy assistant chief of staff for intelligence . In May 1974 General Faurer returned to the Defense Intelligence Agency as deputy director for intelligence , and in July 1976 he became vice director for production . He was assigned as director , J - 2 , U . S . European Command in Vaihingen , Germany , in August 1977 , and moved to Brussels , Belgium , in August 1979 as deputy chairman of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Military Committee . He became Director of the National Security Agency in April 1981 . His military decorations and awards include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal , Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , Legion of Merit , Meritorious Service Medal , Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster and Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster . Faurer has also been presented the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement in recognition of his service to the national intelligence community . He was promoted to lieutenant general September 1 , 1979 , with same date of rank . He retired on April 1 , 1985 . Activities after Retirement . He was President of the Corporation for Open Systems , a not - for - profit industry research center for the promotion of OSI and ISDN international communications standards , from 1986 to 1991 . He has served as Chairman of the Association for Intelligence Officers and consults on national security issues . During the 1990s , " Linc " Faurer also served on the Board of Directors for the Aegis Research Corporation of Rosslyn and later Falls Church , Virginia .