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    HomeAbout UsBiographiesDisplay      This is the official portrait of Brig. Gen. Max Pearson.EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
                
                Second Lieutenant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                May 27, 1998First Lieutenant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 May 27, 2000Captain                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          September 01, 2002Major                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            September 01, 2007Lieutenant Colonel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               December 01, 2011Colonel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          June 01, 2016Brigadier General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                July 03, 2022Engage OnFacebook PostsYour browser is incompatible with this widget.
                        
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        This is the official portrait of Brig. Gen. Max Pearson.Brigadier General MAX E. PEARSONBrig. Gen. Max E. Pearson is the Director of Operations and Military Deputy, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Springfield, Virginia. As the Director of Operations, Brig. Gen. Pearson oversees the daily execution of NGA’s mission to deliver timely, relevant, and actionable geospatial intelligence to combatant commands, policymakers, intelligence professionals, and first responders. He is responsible for leading more than 7,000 government, military, and contract employees spanning more than 100 worldwide locations. Brig. Gen. Pearson prioritizes assets to oversee crisis management, manages the global deployment of personnel, and enables the utilization of advancing geospatial intelligence capabilities.

Brig. Gen. Pearson is a native of northern Minnesota and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has served in various leadership positions stateside and overseas in analysis and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. He deployed as an ISR Planner in the Air Operations Center during the opening months of Operation Iraqi Freedom, as a Collection Manager supporting operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and as the Senior Distributed Ground Station Liaison Officer. Prior to his current position, the general was the Director of ISR Operations, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR and Cyber Effects Operations, headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia.

**EDUCATION**
1998 Bachelor of Science, History, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 
1999 Diplôme, Institut d' Études Politiques, Paris, France
2000 Master of Arts, Foreign Area Studies, Middlebury College, Vt.
2001 Intelligence Applications Officer and Fundamentals of Intelligence Course, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
2003 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2005 Intelligence Sensor Weapons Instructor Course, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2011 Master of Military Science, Marine Corps University, Quantico, Va.
2016 Master of Science, National Security Strategy, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington D.C.**ASSIGNMENTS** 
1. August 1998–June 2000, Gerhart Fellow, Université La Sorbonne and l’Institut d'Études Politiques, Paris, France 
2. July 2000–March 2001, Student, Intelligence Officer School, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas 
3. April 2001–April 2002, Flight Commander, 303rd Intelligence Squadron, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea 
4. May 2002–December 2004, Collection Manager, Command Intelligence Briefer, Chief of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Plans, 32nd Air Intelligence Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany 
5. January 2005–June 2005, Student, Intelligence Sensor Weapons Instructor Couse, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev. 
6. July 2005–July 2008, Chief of Academics and Assistant Director of Operations, 19th Weapons Squadron, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev. 
7. July 2008–July 2010, Director of Operations, 6th Intelligence Squadron (Distributed Ground System-3), Osan AB, Republic of Korea 
8. July 2010–June 2011, Student, Marine Command and Staff College, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Va. 
9. June 2011–July 2013, Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 
10. July 2013–June 2015, Commander, 316th Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Texas 
11. July 2015–June 2016, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 
12. July 2016–July 2017, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Fellow, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Washington, D.C. 
13. July 2017–June 2018, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Fellow, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of Net Assessment, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 
14. June 2018–June 2020, Commander, 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. 
15. June 2020–September 2021, Military Assistant, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. September 2021–June 2022, Director, ISR Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. June 2022–present, Director of Operations and Military Deputy, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Springfield, Va.

**SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS**
1. June 2011–July 2013, Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel 
2. June 2020–September 2021, Military Assistant, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel 
3. June 2022–present, Director of Operations and Military Deputy, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, as a brigadier general

**MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS**
Defense Superior Service Medal 
Legion of Merit 
Defense Meritorious Service Medal 
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters 
Joint Service Commendation Medal 
Air Force Commendation Medal 
Air Force Achievement Medal

**EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION**
Second Lieutenant May 27, 1998 
First Lieutenant May 27, 2000 
Captain May 27, 2002 
Major Sept. 1, 2007 
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 2011 
Colonel June 1, 2016
Brigadier General July 3, 2022
(Current as of July 2022)
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