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    HomeAbout UsBiographiesDisplay      Brig Gen Bernard Ardisana official photoEffective Dates of Promotion
                
                Brigadier General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                July 27, 1976Engage OnFacebook PostsYour browser is incompatible with this widget.
                        
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        Brig Gen Bernard Ardisana official photoBrigadier General BERNARD ARDISANABrig. Gen. Bernard Ardisana is assistant deputy director for operations, National Security Agency, Fort George G. Meade, Md.
General Ardisana was born in Tampa, Fla., in 1924. Upon completing high school in June 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a radio operator. He returned to civilian life in 1946, entered the University of Illinois at Urbana, and graduated in June 1949 with a bachelor of science degree in economics and a Reserve Officers Training Corps commission in the Air Force Reserve as a second lieutenant. He earned a master of arts degree in education from Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas, in 1966. He is also a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College.
Called to active duty in March 1952, General Ardisana's initial assignment was at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas, as a student in the U.S. Air Force Security Service traffic-analysis course. On graduating in August 1952, he reported to the Armed Forces Security Agency in Washington, D.C., as a language officer.
In May 1953 General Ardisana went to Johnson Air Station, Japan, to serve as a language officer with the 6920th Security Group. In May 1954 he moved to Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines, to be assistant operations officer for the 29th Radio Squadron Mobile. Later that year he was placed in charge of an advance party to establish the first U.S. Air Force Security Service unit in Taiwan at Shu Lin Kou Air Station.
In July 1956 General Ardisana was transferred to Fort George G. Meade, Md., as a communications officer with the National Security Agency. While there, he developed analysis techniques which are still in use today.
General Ardisana left for Zweibrucken, Germany, in July 1958 for duty with the 6901st Special Communications Group. While there, he was involved in the development and implementation of an operations communications system now used throughout the cryptologic community.
General Ardisana returned to the United States in April 1961 to enter the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. He graduated in September of the same year and was assigned as an operations inspector with the Headquarters U.S. Air Force Security Service Inspector General's Office at Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
He became chief of the Operations Inspection team in July 1963 and remained in this position until July 1965, when he was transferred to the U.S. Air Force Security Service Directorate of Operations. One year later, General Ardisana was chosen to head the directorate's Operations Systems Evaluation and Management Branch.
In January 1967 General Ardisana was sent to the Republic of Vietnam to command the 6924th Security Squadron at Da Nang Air Base. He returned to Kelly Air Force Base in January 1968 to be chief of the Ground Evaluation Management Division at U.S. Air Force Security Service Headquarters. In July 1969 he became director of the U.S. Air Force Security Service Directorate of Ground Systems Management.
In June 1970 General Ardisana was selected for an assignment at Frankfurt, Germany, with the European Security Region as the assistant deputy chief of staff for operations. He became the deputy chief of staff for operations in August 1971. General Ardisana returned to the United States in July 1972 to attend the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base.
On graduating from the Air War College in 1973, General Ardisana was assigned at Fort George G. Meade with the National Security Agency. He served there until September 1975 when he was appointed vice commander of the U.S. Air Force Security Service. He remained in this position until he assumed his present duties on June 27, 1977.
His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Presidential Unit Citation, and Air Force outstanding Unit Award with "V" device.
He was promoted to the grade of brigadier general Aug. 1, 1976, with date of rank July 27, 1976.
(Current as of October 1977)
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