Foil: 9 Panel: 2 Column: 1 Line: 79

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Capt. Sara M. Huiss

James R. Clapper, Jr. is the first civilian Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He retired as a Lieutenant General from the United States Air Force in 1995, after a 32-year career.
Prior to his appointment as Director of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) in September 2001, he worked in industry for six years as an executive in three successive companies all focused on the intelligence community.
General Clapper’s last military assignment was as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and manager of the General Defense Intelligence Program (GDIP). He also served as the senior uniformed intelligence officer in the Department of Defense. As director of DIA, General Clapper was responsible for a combat support agency composed of military and civilian personnel stationed worldwide. A director of the GDIP, he managed selected intelligence resources for all services as part of the national Foreign Intelligence Program. His earlier assignments included a variety of intelligence-related positions such as Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Headquarters USAF, during Operations DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM. The general also served as Director of Intelligence for three war-fighting commands: U.S. Forces Korea, U.S. Pacific Command and Strategic Air Command. In addition, he commanded a signals intelligence detachment in Thailand where he served two combat tours during the Southeast Asia conflict and flew 73 combat support missions in EC-47s over Laos and Cambodia. He also commanded a signals intelligence wing at Fort George G. Meade, MD, and the Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick Air Force Base, FL. General Clapper was named one of the Top 100 Information Technology Executives by Federal Computer Week in 2001.
General Clapper has served as a consultant and advisor to Congress and the Department of Defense and Energy, and as a member of a wide variety of government panels, boards, commission and advisory groups.