{{Short description|American intelligence official}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} '''Mark E. Kelton''' is a former senior executive of the Central Intelligence Agency, concluding his career with the position of Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service for Counterintelligence (DDNCS/CI).<ref name="Georgetown">{{cite web |url=http://explore.georgetown.edu/people/mek132/ |title=Mark E. Kelton |website=Georgetown University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520221658/http://explore.georgetown.edu/people/mek132/ |archive-date=May 20, 2017}}</ref>

He is currently an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University, and Director of Threat Insider Solutions at Cipher Systems, LLC.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thecipherbrief.com/expert/Mark-Kelton |work=The Cipher Brief |access-date=May 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520222713/https://www.thecipherbrief.com/expert/Mark-Kelton |archive-date=May 20, 2017 |quote=Mark Kelton is currently Director of Threat Insider Solutions at Cipher Systems, LLC. Kelton is a retired senior Central Intelligence Agency executive with 34 years of experience in intelligence operations. He completed his career in 2015 after serving as Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service for Counterintelligence. Mr. Kelton’s distinguished career includes sixteen years of overseas service, to include four assignments in key CIA field leadership positions. |title=The Network}}</ref>

==Education== Kelton obtained a B.A. in political science from the University of New Hampshire.<ref name="Georgetown"/> Kelton obtained an M.A. degree in National Security Affairs from the U.S. Naval War College, and another MA from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.<ref name="Georgetown"/><ref name="DMGS"/>

==Career== Kelton's career at the Central Intelligence Agency was primarily in the realm of counterintelligence, and he spent 16 years performing overseas service.<ref name="Georgetown"/> He also served as an executive assistant to Deputy Director for Operations Jack G. Downing.<ref name="Cipher">{{cite news |url=https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/cipher-brief-exclusive-cias-fallen-agent-memorial |url-access=subscription |work=The Cipher Brief |first=Jeanine C. |last=Hayden |date=August 20, 2015 |title=CIA's Fallen Agent Memorial |archive-date=May 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520225549/https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/cipher-brief-exclusive-cias-fallen-agent-memorial}}</ref>

By the mid-2000s, Kelton was the chief of the European Division of the National Clandestine Service.<ref name="Cipher"/>

===Pakistan Station Chief=== Kelton was the CIA's station chief in Pakistan during the 2011 raid which killed Osama bin Laden.<ref name="IBTimes"/> Kelton believes he was poisoned by the Inter-Services Intelligence in retaliation for the raid, forcing him to leave due to a medical emergency.<ref name="IBTimes">{{cite news |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ex-cia-chief-mark-kelton-believes-pakistani-agents-poisoned-him-after-us-killed-osama-bin-laden-1558531 |title=Ex-CIA chief Mark Kelton believes Pakistani agents poisoned him after US killed Osama bin Laden |newspaper=International Business Times |first=Mary |last=Papenfuss |date=May 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520222929/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ex-cia-chief-mark-kelton-believes-pakistani-agents-poisoned-him-after-us-killed-osama-bin-laden-1558531 |archive-date=May 20, 2017}}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Greg|title=After presiding over bin Laden raid, CIA chief in Pakistan came home suspecting he was poisoned by ISI|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-bin-laden-raids-shadow-bad-blood-and-the-suspected-poisoning-of-a-cia-officer/2016/05/05/ace85354-0c83-11e6-a6b6-2e6de3695b0e_story.html?tid=pm_world_pop_b|newspaper=The Washington Post |accessdate=5 May 2016}}</ref>

===Compromise of CIA Networks in China=== {{main|2010–2012 killing of CIA sources in China}} While investigating the 2010-2012 compromise of CIA agents in China, Kelton was initially opposed to the theory that the compromises were caused by a mole, recalling the wrongful suspicions that had taken place during the search for mole Robert Hanssen in the 1990s.<ref name="NYT17">{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520215353/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/world/asia/china-cia-spies-espionage.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur |archive-date=May 20, 2017 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/world/asia/china-cia-spies-espionage.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur |title=Killing C.I.A. Informants, China Crippled U.S. Spying Operations |first1=Mark |last1=Mazzetti |first2=Adam |last2=Goldman |first3=Michael S. |last3=Schmidt |first4=Matthew |last4=Apuzzo |date=May 20, 2017 |access-date=May 20, 2017}}</ref>

==Awards and commendations== Over his career, Kelton was awarded the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Exceptional Collector Award.<ref name="DMGS">{{cite news |title=Mark Kelton, MA |url=https://dmgs.org/about/board-of-advisors/mark-kelton/ |publisher=Daniel Morgan Academy |quote=Kelton has more than fifteen years of overseas service, to include four Chief of Station assignments. He also served as the Associate Deputy Director of the Clandestine Service for Technology where he was responsible for the selection, testing and deployment of all technology used by the Clandestine Service in pursuit of its clandestine mission; the Deputy Chief of East Asia Division, Directorate of Operations where he assisted in the direction of all CIA intelligence operations, activities and programs in East Asia, to include engagement with foreign partners; the Chief of Operations, Central Eurasia Division, Directorate of Operations where he assisted in the direction of all CIA operations, activities and programs in Eastern Europe and Eurasia; and as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director for Operations. He is the recipient of numerous awards and commendations, including the CIA Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the Director of National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the CIA Director’s Award, the CIA Intelligence Medal of Merit, the William J. Donovan Award (twice), the CIA Exceptional Human Intelligence Collector Award, and the Intelligence Community Seal Medallion. |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520230424/https://dmgs.org/about/board-of-advisors/mark-kelton/ |archive-date=May 20, 2017}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelton, Mark}} Category:Deputy directors of the Central Intelligence Agency Category:Living people Category:Naval War College alumni Category:The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni Category:University of New Hampshire alumni Category:Recipients of the Intelligence Medal of Merit Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Georgetown University faculty