DAVID A. DEPTULA

 

General David A. Deptula is a retired U.S. Air Force three-star general and former first Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight, and leadership of Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. He was involved in shaping and managing military use of unmanned aerial vehicles, initiated and built the Air Force’s first ISR strategy, and established the Air Force ISR Agency. He has served on two congressional commissions charged with outlining America's future defense posture -- the Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces, and the National Defense Panel. 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 Joint Task Force Commander - in 1998/1999 for Operation Northern Watch during a period of renewed Iraqi aggression where he flew 82 combat missions, and for Operation Deep Freeze, supporting forces 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 for Operation Unified Assistance, the South Asia tsunami relief effort, and in 2006 he was the standing Joint Force Air Component Commander for Pacific Command. General Deptula retired from service on October 1, 2010 and received the Air Force Association’s highest honor for achievement in the field of national security the same year.