Mahlon E. Doyle
Mahlon E. Doyle | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 14, 1924 North Baltimore, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 4, 2017 (aged 92) Silver Springs, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Cryptographer, mathematician |
| Spouse(s) | Lana (Starner) Doyle (August. 10, 1946-February 2, 2012); 2 children |
| Awards | Exceptional Civilian Service Award |
Mahlon E. Doyle (June 14, 1921 – March 4, 2017) was an American cryptologist and who had a 31-year career at the National Security Agency and its predecessor organizations. As an inventor, innovator, and author, Doyle profoundly affected the design of modern cryptographic devices.[1]
Biography
He was born in North Baltimore, to Carl and Flossie (née Michener) Doyle. He married Lana Starner on August 10, 1946.[2] During World War II, Doyle served in the Army, working on the SIGSALY voice encryption system.[3][4]
His Communications Security (COMSEC) career began in 1949 as a cryptanalyst studying the new field of electronic key generators. Doyle was one of the pioneers in using mathematical notation to describe the motion of key generators and applying mathematical techniques to analyze them. He quickly established himself as the leading COMSEC cryptanalyst against electronic key generators when he discovered two general attack techniques that helped to lay the groundwork for significant SIGINT exploitations.[5][1]
In 1956, Doyle joined the COMSEC Research and Development (R&D) organization as a cryptomathematician. By 1961, he had risen to Chief of the Cryptomathematics Division, a position he held until 1977, when he was named Senior Cryptographer in the COMSEC R&D Office. The division was responsible for designing the cryptographic algorithms used by the U.S. and its Allies to protect classified information and the U.S. Nuclear Command and Control System.[1]
Doyle designed the cryptologics for major COMSEC systems that were used by the government for four decades. From the 1960s on, most U.S. government COMSEC equipment used cryptologics that were either designed by Doyle or designed by others based on his research. Significant contributions to the design of COMSEC system architectures are also attributed to Doyle. He designed key management schemes that greatly enhanced the physical security of COMSEC devices and effected a dramatic decrease in the amount and cost of physically distributing key material.[1]
Personal life and death
Doyle wed Lana Starner on August 10, 1946. She died on February 2, 2012. The couple had two daughters, Dr. Laurie Doyle and Nancy Shields, both of whom predeceased their father. Mahlon E. Doyle died in [{Silver Springs, Maryland]] on March 4, 2017, aged 95.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d "Mahlon E. Doyle". Cryptologic Hall of Honor. National Security Agency. 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b "Mahlon E. Doyle obituary", Advertiser Tribune of Tiffin, OH, p. 1, 8 March 2017, retrieved 11 March 2017
- ^ Boone, James V. (2004). "The WWII Cryptologic Heritage of the United States' Computer and Communications Industries" (PDF). Engineering and Technology History Wiki. National Cryptologic Museum Foundation, Inc. p. 16. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ Campbell, Joseph P., Jr.; Dean, Richard A. (July 1993). "A history of secure voice coding: Insights drawn from the career of one of the earliest practitioners of the art of speech coding" (PDF). Digital Signal Processing.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "NSA inducts four cryptologists into elite group at museum", Baltimore Sun, p. 1, 15 June 2001, retrieved 11 March 2015
