McLean Secret Neighbor in Transition: Panetta Leaves, Petreaus Arrives in September

Big doings over at the heaquarters of one McLean's secret neighbors during the past two weeks.

The neighbors at CIA said goodbye to DCIA Leon Panetta, who was sworn in a Secretary of Defense July 1.

Deputy director Michael Morrell is in charge until the expected arrival of Gen. David Petraeus in September.

Before Panetta left he handed out a flotilla of awards to his fellow partners in the intelligence community for their work in the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden.

"In his remarks, the Director stressed the importance of never giving up and of questioning assumptions in the pursuit of truth. He told those in attendance to always have a back-up plan and to never shy away from risk, noting that accepting risk is inherent to the intelligence business and part of the spirit that makes America great. He ended by emphasizing that outstanding teamwork brought the operation to a successful conclusion, and that the ceremony was a celebration of a genuine team effort," according to the CIA website.

"Director Panetta and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper presented commemorative plaques to the CIA, Intelligence Community, and military officers who contributed to the Bin Ladin intelligence case and operation.

"Vice Admiral William McRaven accepted on behalf of the strike team that stormed the al-Qaeda leader’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

“Few can say that they had a hand in an operation that made the world a better place,” Director Panetta told the crowd of approximately 1,300 attendees. “Getting rid of Bin Ladin has made this nation and our world a safer place for our children.”

"CIA officers from across all directorates were honored. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Letitia Long and National Security Agency Director General Keith Alexander accepted plaques on behalf of their respective agencies – both of which played key roles in building the intelligence case for the raid. Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Stephanie O’Sullivan accepted for the Open Source Center and the National Counterterrorism Center.

“To each of you who participated in this operation, you have my undying respect and my undying admiration,” Director Panetta said. “Please know that I will carry this memory forever in my heart. And so will the American people,”  Panetta said, according to the CIA account.

Morrell, who started at the Agency as an analyst, took over as Acting Director July 1, according to another CIA press release.

"It is a great honor to lead the men and women of CIA, if only in an acting capacity and for a short time. Our Agency’s work is central to every national security challenge facing the United States, and, in my three decades in intelligence, I have never seen as many foreign threats and opportunities—or as wide a variety—as we see today. That makes our work incredibly important to those we serve. We owe them nothing less than the best we can deliver in intelligence operations, analysis, technology, and support," Morrell said, according to the neighbors.