The CIA has appointed a veteran clandestine officer currently serving as a station chief in the Middle East to lead its global covert operations, according to a report by the Financial Times. The move comes as the intelligence agency undergoes a broader reshuffle under Director John Ratcliffe and President Donald Trump’s administration.
The newly selected deputy director for operations (DDO) will assume responsibility for one of the most critical roles within the CIA—overseeing all covert programs worldwide and managing the recruitment of foreign spies in strategic countries such as China and Russia. According to sources familiar with the decision, the officer is well-regarded by CIA rank-and-file personnel, and his current assignment in a key Middle Eastern country speaks to his high-level operational experience.
The Financial Times has withheld specific details of the officer’s identity due to his undercover status, reflecting standard security precautions.
This appointment follows the withdrawal of a previous nominee, Ralph Goff, a retired CIA case officer who was initially tapped for the role. Goff’s candidacy was reportedly scrapped, with some sources citing opposition from the White House over his post-retirement advocacy for Ukraine. However, others have insisted that his withdrawal was unrelated to any political issues.
“The new deputy director of operations is expected to play a pivotal role in refocusing the CIA’s mission on aggressive foreign intelligence collection,” said one individual close to Ratcliffe’s thinking. “Ratcliffe is laser-focused on the foreign intelligence collection mission.”
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Ratcliffe emphasized his commitment to expanding human intelligence efforts globally, stating that the CIA would “collect intelligence, especially human intelligence in every corner of the globe, no matter how dark or difficult.”
In line with that approach, the CIA recently launched a rare online campaign using Chinese-language videos to recruit potential assets in China—an unprecedented digital outreach that reflects the agency’s evolving espionage tactics.
The appointment is part of a series of leadership changes within the US intelligence community under the Trump administration. Earlier this year, President Trump dismissed General Timothy Haugh, who headed both the National Security Agency and the US military’s Cyber Command. Additionally, Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, recently removed Michael Collins as chair of the National Intelligence Council. Critics allege Collins’ ouster was politically motivated, tied to intelligence findings that contradicted White House narratives about Venezuela. Gabbard’s office denied those claims, attributing the decision to concerns about politicized intelligence.
Despite the broader turnover across intelligence agencies, sources stressed that the new DDO’s appointment was not connected to recent controversies. “It is common for a new CIA director to bring in a trusted operative to run covert operations,” one insider explained, citing the job’s sensitive nature.
While there was speculation that Ratcliffe might also replace the deputy director of analysis, who remains undercover, sources confirmed that the individual will stay on due to a strong working relationship with the incoming DDO.
The CIA declined to comment on the appointment.
