Carlson Returns to Address NRO Issues

Popular speaker Gen. Bruce A. Carlson, USAF (Retired), will be a featured speaker at the 27th National Space Symposium, which will be held April 11-14 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo. As the 17th director of the NRO, Carlson directs the agency responsible for space reconnaissance systems, intelligence-related U.S. national security activities and collection from space. Carlson also spoke at the 26th National Space Symposium (to see coverage, click here).

Carlson's career includes a broad range of military, space and intelligence assignments. He was commissioned as an Air Force officer after graduating with distinction from the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. A command pilot with more than 3,700 flying hours in ten different aircraft, his flying assignments included commanding the Air Force's first stealth fighter wing, the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman AFB, N.M. 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 of the 8th Air Force, Barksdale AFB, La.; and Joint Functional Component Commander for Space and Global Strike, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.

Among Carlson's many awards and decorations are the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Order of the Sword, Air Force Materiel Command. He holds a master's degree from Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.

Headquartered in Chantilly, Va., the NRO identifies potential trouble spots around the world, supports military planning and monitors the environment. Funded through the National Reconnaissance Program, which is part of the National Intelligence Program, the NRO is part of the Department of Defense (DoD) and is one of 16 members of the U.S. intelligence community.

Carlson reports to both the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense, for whom he is the principal advisor for overhead reconnaissance. The NRO was established in 1961 as a classified DoD department and was declassified in 1992.

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For more details on the 27th National Space Symposium, see related article in this issue of Space Watch. Industry attendees who register before Jan. 14, 2011, can save up to $500 with the Super Early Bird rate. To register and to get more information, including agenda, speakers and exhibitors, click here.

 

This article is part of Space Watch: November 2010 (Volume: 9, Issue: 11).