Lieutenant General David A. Deptula - Retired Oct. 1, 2010

Lieutenant General David A. Deptula is a world-recognized leader and pioneer in conceptualizing, planning, and executing national security operations from humanitarian relief to major regional conflict. He is the CEO and Managing Director of MAV6 LLC, an agile systems integration company that develops new technology solutions for security challenges. General Deptula is one-of-a-kind visionary—warrior—scholar—doer, whose impact and innovations in strategy, planning, and operations have changed the character of modern warfare. Accomplished historic achievements and several “firsts” in the command of joint forces, planning and execution of aerospace power, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and improved international relationships. He has taken part in operations, planning, and joint warfighting at unit, major command, service headquarters and combatant command levels. He has also served on two congressional commissions charged with outlining America's future defense posture.

General Deptula has significant experience in combat and leadership in several major joint contingency operations. He was the principal attack planner for the Desert Storm coalition air campaign in 1991. He has twice been a Combined/Joint Task Force Commander—in 1998/1999 for Operation Northern Watch where he flew 82 combat missions, and for Operation Deep Freeze conducting operations in Antarctica. In 2001, the general served as Director of the Combined Air Operations Center for Operation Enduring Freedom, where he orchestrated air operations over Afghanistan during the period of decisive combat. In 2005, he was the Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC) for Operation Unified Assistance, the South Asia tsunami relief effort, and in 2006 he was the standing JFACC for Pacific Command.

General Deptula was the first Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Headquarters Air Force. Responsible for policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight, and leadership of AF ISR and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), he transformed those enterprises and set a standard emulated by services and nations around the world. General Deptula retired from the Air Force October 1, 2010, and is now a thought leader on defense, strategy, and ISR.

WORK HISTORY SUMMARY

2006-2010
Deputy Chief of Staff (DCS) for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C (Lt General)
Created the DCS for ISR organization, vision, goals, structures, and processes; built and executed strategy and plans that transformed AF ISR and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) management. Set a standard for ISR and RPA operations emulated by services and nations around the world.

2003-2006
Commander of Kenney Warfighting Headquarters, Director of Air and Space
Operations, and Vice Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, Hawaii (Maj/Lt General)
Accomplished multiple landmark defense initiatives in the Pacific—benchmarked joint command and control; successfully led the largest humanitarian/disaster relief air operation since the Berlin Airlift (2005 Tsunami Relief); creatively revamped war plans; and significantly improved relationships in Asia by securing engagement agreements with multiple countries.

2001-2003
Director of Plans and Programs,
Headquarters Air Combat Command (ACC), Langley AFB, Va. (Maj General)
Built the first force structure flight plan in AF history that integrated fighters, bombers, weapons, ISR, and C2 aircraft into a game plan for planning and programming; built an actionable strategic plan for ACC; and established ACC as the AF focal point for effects-based operations.

2000-2001
Director, Air Force Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR)
Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. (Brig/Maj General)
Efforts as AF QDR lead resulted in a 7 of an 11 billion dollar 2001 QDR distribution going to the AF. First time in over 15 years the AF budget was increased relative to the other services.

Previous work experience includes: Defense strategy development; remotely piloted aircraft, stealth bomber, and 5^th generation fighter planning; air, space, and cyber operations, training, and organizational design. Policy analyst working directly for the Secretary of the Air Force; joint and service doctrine development; warfighting concepts development; legislative liaison. More than 3,000 hours flying hours (400 in combat) to include multiple operational fighter command assignments in the F-15.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Vision: Author of “Global Reach—Global Power,” the seminal white paper that is the source of vision, doctrine, rationale, and reason for being of the modern Air Force. Created the first strategy and flight plans for Air Force (AF) ISR and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).
Strategic Planning: Architect of the Desert Storm air campaign plan—created the air attack plans for each and every day of that war using an innovative effects-based planning methodology that resulted in changing the character of modern conflict.
Operations Direction: Director of the Combined/Joint Air Operations Center for Operation Enduring Freedom (action in Afghanistan) orchestrating allied military air operations in 2001 that lead to the removal of the Taliban government in Afghanistan in less than 90 days.
Diplomacy and communication: As the Combined/Joint Task Force Commander enforcing the air-exclusion zone over Iraq, negotiated rules of engagement with the Governments of Turkey and Great Britain that lead to unprecedented cooperation among strong-willed allies. As AF ISR chief, attained a major historic agreement between the AF and Navy for RPA cooperation.
Organizational Design: Established the Air Force ISR Agency as an independent organization to address the ISR demands of all major commands using a domain integrated enterprise approach to ISR vice subordinating ISR to one domain-centric major command.
Financial Management: Successfully directed plans and programs for the largest AF command (over 100,000 personnel)—built a program that was executed for over 27 billion dollars of resources while orchestrating manning, basing, and planning for AF combat forces.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Defense Distinguished Service Medal

Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters

Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster

Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster

Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster

Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters

Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters

Aerial Achievement Medal

Air Force Commendation Medal

Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters

Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with four oak leaf clusters

Combat Readiness Medal with four oak leaf clusters

Antarctica Service Medal

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with bronze star

Southwest Asia Service Medal with two bronze stars

Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Humanitarian Service Medal with two bronze stars

Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait)

1999 Aviation Week & Space Technology Aerospace Laurels Award for developing innovative air warfare tactics.

2010 Aviation Week & Space Technology Laureate Award for extraordinary accomplishment in national defense.

2010 Gen. H.H. Arnold Award, the AF Association's highest honor to a military member in the field of national security.

EDUCATION
1974 Bachelor of Arts degree (with distinction) in astronomy, University of Virginia
1976 Master of Engineering degree in systems engineering, University of Virginia
1981 U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School
1987 Armed Forces Staff College
1994 Master of Science degree in national security strategy, National War College, Washington D.C.

AFFILIATIONS: National Security Agency (NSA) Advisory Board; Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Strategic Advisory Group; Powerwave Technologies Strategic Advisory Board; Salient Corp Board of Directors; RAND Corp Adjunct Professional; Center for A New American Security Advisory Board; American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics; Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association; Intelligence and National Security Alliance; Air Force Association; Order of the Daedalians.

PUBLICATIONS

"Firing for Effect: Change in the Nature of Warfare," AFA Defense and Airpower Series,1995.
"Parallel Warfare; What is it? Where Did it Come From? Why Is It Important?" Eagle in the Desert,1996.
"Air Exclusion Zones: Instruments of Security Policy in a New Era," RAAF Airpower/Joint Forces Proceedings, 2000.
"Effects-based Operations: Change in the Nature of War," Aerospace Education Foundation, 2001.
"Embracing Change: US Air Force Transformation," Armed Forces Journal International, October 2001.
"Transforming Joint Air-Ground Operations for 21st Century Battlespace," Field Artillery Magazine, July-August 2003.
"Direct Attack: Enhancing Counterland Doctrine & Joint Air-Ground Operations," Air & Space Power Jnl, Winter 2003.
"Transforming Air and Space Power Organization in the Pacific," High Frontier Magazine, 2006.
"Toward Restructuring National Security," Strategic Studies Quarterly Vol 1, No. 2, 2007.
"Air and Space Power Lead Turning the Future," Orbis, Fall 2008.
"Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Taking Strategy to Task," Joint Forces Quarterly 49, 2008.
"A House Divided: The Indivisibility of Intel, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance," Air & Space Power Jnl, Summer 2008.
"Global Distributed ISR Operations: The Changing Face of Warfare," Joint Forces Quarterly 54, 2009.
"Information-age Warfare Demands New Approaches to ISR Structures," Armed Forces Journal International, Nov 2010.