Photo By Erin Thompson | Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Flynn (US Army, Retired), 1988 Military Intelligence Hall of Fame...... read more read more
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by Michael E. Bigelow, INSCOM Command Historian
IN MEMORIAM
Major General Thomas J. Flynn
Nov. 2, 1930 — Jun. 22, 2025
In 1953, Thomas J. Flynn began his Army career as an enlisted Morse interceptor with the Army Security Agency (ASA) and ended it thirty-four years later as a major general with the National Security Agency (NSA).
During his long career, Flynn commanded three field stations. In 1965–1966, he commanded the ASA’s 79th Special Operations Unit (SOU) on the remote Alaskan Shemya Island. With his immediate superior over 4,500 miles away in Washington, D.C., then Major Flynn was left largely on his own to manage his unit’s mission. For his efforts, the 79th SOU received ASA’s superior rating for its intercept operations.
Five years later, Flynn, now a lieutenant colonel, commanded the 175th Radio Research Field Station (RRFS) at Bien Hoa, Vietnam. As the war was winding down, the 175th RRFS inherited the missions of redeploying ASA units. In 1971–1972, it was responsible for providing intelligence for tactical commanders as well as meeting strategic requirements. In addition to its ground-based assets, Flynn’s organization directed the Army’s remaining aerial radio direction finding aircraft.
From 1974–1978, Flynn served successively as Field Station Augsburg’s operations officer, deputy commander, and finally its commander. At Augsburg, he oversaw improvements in the field station’s capabilities. As operations officer, Flynn oversaw the testing of a new collection system. Later as deputy commander and commander, now-Colonel Flynn supervised the system’s installation at Augsburg and its border sites. He also managed the introduction of an innovative computer-based processing and reporting system. Integrating these collection and processing systems, Augsburg effectively provided its strategic and tactical clients with invaluable enemy order of battle data, insights into enemy exercises and tactical concepts, and indicators and early warning.
When Flynn commanded the field station, it was the Army’s largest and most complex collection site with almost 1,900 soldiers and civilians located at five sites throughout Germany. In addition to the ASA component, he directed the efforts of U.S. Air Force, British, and German cryptologists. Flynn’s active and effective leadership created a single, unified effort, shaping Augsburg into a model field station for the final stages of the Cold War. Moreover, Flynn understood that technology required a unified team of competent operators.
Returning from Germany, Flynn served tours with both the Army Staff and U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command before moving to NSA headquarters in late 1981 as a brigadier general. On the NSA staff, Flynn looked beyond the traditional Cold War targets and worked to ensure assets and resources were properly aligned to meet national requirements.
In 1985, Flynn became the NSA chief of staff as a major general. For the next two and a half years, he led the staff to resolve issues that touched every aspect of the agency’s operations. He pushed for more effective use of military manpower within NSA and looked to the agency’s future personnel, security, and automation needs. In February 1988, Flynn retired from the Army.
Interestingly, Flynn continued to contribute after his retirement. In June 1991, Flynn chaired a study of the cryptologic community’s decision making, target access, and manpower management. The “Flynn Study,” as it became known, was clear and balanced, and offered positive, achievable recommendations. These recommendations strengthened ties between NSA and the military services by incorporating the services in decision making on training, manpower, and budget. They also called for more effective use of the military’s cryptologic personnel within NSA. Taken together, the study’s recommendations created a program that invigorated the partnership between the civilian and military sides of the cryptologic community. By doing so, the U.S. cryptologic service was stronger, more relevant, and better prepared to meet the challenges of the future.
| Date Taken: | 07.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.03.2025 13:13 |
| Story ID: | 510531 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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