President-elect Joe Biden has named career diplomat William Burns as his choice to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency. If confirmed, Burns would be the nation's first-ever spy chief with a resume consisting mainly of State Department experience. 

“Bill Burns is an exemplary diplomat with decades of experience on the world stage keeping our people and our country safe and secure,” Biden said in a statement early Monday. “He shares my profound belief that intelligence must be apolitical and that the dedicated intelligence professionals serving our nation deserve our gratitude and respect."

Burns, 64, has held several senior leadership posts at the State Department under both Republican and Democratic presidents. Burns was the deputy secretary of state in the Barack Obama administration and undersecretary of state for political affairs before that. Burns also served as the US ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008, assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs from 2001 to 2005 and ambassador to Jordan from 1998 to 2001. 

He and Jake Sullivan, Biden’s choice for national security adviser, spearheaded the secret talks with Iran that led to the landmark nuclear agreement that Tehran and world powers reached in 2015. Biden has pledged to rejoin the pact, which outgoing President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018, if Iran returns to strict compliance.