Launch Leader
Q& A
Producing and Operating Innovative Overhead Intelligence
General Bruce Carlson (Ret.) Director National Reconnaissance Office
Air Force General Bruce Carlson (Ret.) was appointed the 17th director of the National Reconnaissance Office (DNRO) on June 12, 2009. Prior to his appointment, after retiring from the Air Force in January 2009, he served on the board of directors of EADS North America. The DNRO provides direction, guidance and supervision over all matters pertaining to the NRO and executes other authorities specifically delegated by the secretary of defense or director of national intelligence. Carlson began his military career as a commissioned officer in 1971 after graduating with distinction from the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. He is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours in 10 different aircraft and saw combat as a forward air controller in the OV-10 Bronco. His various flying assignments included commanding the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman AFB, N.M., the Air Force’s first stealth fighter wing. His staff assignments included positions at Tactical Air Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and the offices of the Secretary of the Air Force and Secretary of Defense. He also served as the director of force structure, resources and assessment on the Joint Staff; commander, 8th Air Force, Barksdale AFB, La.; and joint functional component commander for space and global strike, Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb. Carlson also served as commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, which is responsible for development, testing, acquisition and sustainment of Air Force weapons systems. In that role, he had responsibility for 74,000 people and $59 billion annually. Carlson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and a Master of Arts degree from Webster University. Carlson was interviewed by GIF Editor Harrison Donnelly. Q: We spoke last in the spring of 2010. How would you assess the performance of NRO in the past two years? A: I’m very pleased. We’ve demonstrated that we haven’t lost the recipe for building, launching and operating the intelligence community’s satellites and intelligence systems. We’ve demonstrated that we know how to work and partner with industry. We had a successful launch campaign last year, the busiest in 25 years, and we’re about to execute another one. We’ve had three clean financial audits in a row— something no other major agency in the IC or Department of Defense www.GIF-kmi.com
has achieved. Our financial systems account for the money we spend, and we can tell Congress and the American people with assurance that we’re not only using their money wisely, but prudently as well. Probably the biggest thing to me is that we have about a dozen and a half major system acquisitions, and every one of them is “in the green” in accordance with the Director of National Intelligence’s criteria. That means they are on cost and on budget for time and delivery. In fact, many of our systems are running ahead of schedule. Q: Has the agency fully overcome the image problems, merited or not, resulting from some unsuccessful programs of the recent past? A: We’ve demonstrated that we’re the leading agency in this country to produce and operate innovative new overhead systems to collect intelligence. Our operators, leaders, acquisition professionals, program managers and the whole staff have contributed to that, and they feel good about it. I make it a point to get out of my office and walk the halls of the NRO. During these rounds I sense that people genuinely and generally feel good about working here, enjoy it, and are excited about our mission and how we’re getting it done. Our halls have several banners up about our current launch campaign, which has created some buzz. During the 50th anniversary and other events, GIF 10.3 | 17