Lieutenant General David A. Deptula (Ret.) is a
highly decorated military leader who transitioned from
the U.S. Air Force (USAF) in 2010 after more than 34
years of distinguished service. He is a world-recognized
leader and pioneer in conceptualizing, planning, and
executing national security operations from humanitarian
relief to major combat operations. He has accomplished
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, and 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 as a general officer, and for Operation
Deep Freeze conducting operations in Antarctica. In
2001, he 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, and leadership of AF ISR and
remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), he transformed those
enterprises setting a standard emulated by services and
nations around the world. In 2009 he was recognized as
the Targeting Professional of the Year as the driving
force in standing up the Air Force Targeting Center. In
2010 he was awarded an Aviation Week & Space
Technology Aerospace Laureate Award for extraordinary
accomplishment in national defense, as well as the 2010
General H.H. Arnold Award—the AF Association’s highest
honor to a military member in the field of national
security.
He has piloted more than 3,000 flying hours (400 in
combat) to include multiple operational fighter command
assignments in the F-15. Formerly, the CEO of a high
technology company, he is currently a board member on a
variety of public, private and think-tank institutions;
is a senior scholar at the US Air Force Academy; and a
sought-after commentator around the world as a thought
leader on defense; strategy; and ISR.