McLean, VA, 8 Aug 95 -- Admiral William O. Studeman, USN, who served two Presidents and three Directors of Central Intelligence as the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence from April 1992 until June 1995, was feted at a retirement ceremony in front of CIA Headquarters this morning.
Director of Central Intelligence John Deutch, who presided at the ceremony, praised Admiral Studeman for "an outstanding 32-year career as an innovator and a tireless defender of our national security."
"As Deputy Director of Central Intelligence and Acting DCI, he has helped guide the CIA and the Intelligence Community through a critical time," Director Deutch said. "The last few years have brought an unrelenting parade of crises and challenges. Throughout, Bill has acted with calm, with vision, and most important, with integrity."
Director Deutch added, "Despite the daily crises, Bill has always kept one eye on the future, on tomorrow's intelligence questions and the technology we will need to answer them. To use his own terms, he made time to 'think lofty thoughts.' Because of his penchant for action, but also because of his creativity, he leaves the Intelligence Community better than he found it."
Admiral Studeman, reflecting on his more than three years as DDCI, stressed the importance of a strong, global US intelligence capability and referred to the professionals at CIA and throughout the Intelligence Community as "unbelievably extraordinary."
"If this country didn't have a CIA, it would have to reinvent it," he said, adding that intelligence is a "defining concept which makes this country great."
During the hour-long retirement ceremony, which was attended by CIA and Intelligence Community officials as well as Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jeremy "Mike" Boorda and other senior military officials, Director Deutch presented Admiral Studeman with the Distinguished Intelligence Medal.
The ceremony, which included a 17-gun salute and musical selections from the US Navy Band, was the first such ceremony ever held at CIA Headquarters.
When President Clinton visited CIA on July 14, 1995, he
presented Admiral Studeman with the highest award that anyone
in the Intelligence Community can receive, the President's
National Security Medal. "No one deserves it more and the
honor it represents," the President said at the time.