President Barack Obama has nominated U.S. Army Major Gen. Robert A. Harding (ret.) to lead the Transportation Security Administration as Assistant Secretary for the Dept. of Homeland Security — a key post that has been vacant for more than a year.

Harding, 62 years old, is an intelligence specialist with more than 30 years experience. Obama said he could “think of no one more qualified than Bob to take on this important job.”

Former Obama nominee Erroll Southers, a former FBI agent, withdrew his nomination in January amid accusations that he had used FBI databases for personal reasons.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, says Harding’s nomination was “great news for America’s national security” and that “his work in the intelligence community should prove to be invaluable experience for this crucial post.” Rockefeller added that he and Commerce Committee members are committed to moving Harding’s nomination as expeditiously as possible.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, (D-Nev.), noting that the nomination “should not be subject to partisan delay tactics,” encouraged his colleagues to “confirm him swiftly.”

Following his 2001 retirement from the military, where he served for 33 years, Harding entered the private sector. Most recently, he was President and CEO of Alexandria, Va.-based Harding Security Associates, a company he founded in 2003 that specialized in providing consulting and support services to U.S. government agencies on human intelligence (HUMINT), counterintelligence, security, as well as measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT). The company was sold in 2009.

He previously had served as Executive Vice President for Operations at McLean, Va.-based Innovative Logistics Techniques Inc. (Innolog), he had corporate responsibility to manage and expand operational aspects of the company’s $96 million business.

Harding retired from the military as U.S. Army Deputy G2 (Intelligence), responsible for planning and execution of programs affecting the acquisition, training, maintaining and sustaining, of intelligence personnel and systems around the world.

His numerous command and staff positions included serving as Director of Operations at the Defense Intelligence Agency in 1996-2000. In that capacity, he was the Defense Dept.’s senior HUMINT officer, managing more than $1 billion in intelligence collection program requirements. He also supervised and provided security to the Defense Dept.’s defense attaches in over 200 embassies/offices worldwide.

Harding from 1995 to 1996 also served as the Director of Intelligence for the U.S. Southern Command. Born May 13, 1948, in New York City, he received his commission as a second lieutenant from Officer Candidate School, Fort Belvoir, Va., on April 18, 1969.

Harding attended the Military Intelligence Officers Advanced Course, the Armed Forces Staff College as well as the Naval War College. He also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Bowie (Md.) State University, a Master of Science in Business from Salve Regina University (Newport, R.I.) and Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategy from the U.S. Naval War College.

Photo credit: Benet Wilson