William D. Murray retired from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in March 2005, after a career of 40 years of military and civilian government service. During his 36 years with CIA, Murray rose from entry level to the highest levels of the Senior Executive Service and managed field operations in a number of overseas locations, frequently in times of war and civil strife. He also managed several different Washington based units at varying times and at increasing levels of complexity. The main thrust of his career was in the Middle East but he also served as the organization's field manager for operations in the Balkans and later as the senior officer commanding one of the largest and most important offices in Paris.