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    HomeAbout UsBiographiesDisplay      BRIGADIER GENERAL PAUL D. NELSONEngage On
        
        BRIGADIER GENERAL PAUL D. NELSONBRIGADIER GENERAL PAUL D. NELSONBrigadier General Paul D. Nelson serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence, NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium.
General Nelson graduated from the University of Minnesota's Air Force ROTC program as a distinguished graduate in 1987. He served as a squadron, group, and wing commander. His staff duties include tours at U.S. European Command, Headquarters International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Air Combat Command, and Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency.**EDUCATION**
1987 Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and mechanics, University of Minnesota
1991 Master's degree in engineering management and systems, University of Dayton, Ohio
1992 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer school, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1999 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2000 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2002 Air War College, by correspondence
2004 Distinguished graduate, NATO Defense College, Rome, Italy
2010 Air Force Senior Leadership Course, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2011 U.S. Air Force Enterprise Leadership Program, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, Charlottesville**ASSIGNMENTS**
1. February 1988 - August 1992, engineer, Propulsion Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 
2. September 1992 - August 1993, student, intelligence officer training, Goodfellow AFB, Texas 
3. September 1993 - March 1996, intelligence officer, 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron, and intelligence instructor, A-10 Formal Training Unit, 355th Operations Support Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
4. April 1996 - June 1998, intelligence and deception inspector, and executive officer to the Inspector General, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
5. July 1998 - May 1999, student, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
6. June 1999 - June 2002, operations planner, and Chief, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Branch, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany
7. July 2002 - July 2004, Commander, 33rd Information Operations Squadron, Lackland AFB, Texas
8. August 2004 - February 2005, student, NATO Defense College, Rome, Italy
9. March 2005 - July 2007, Chief, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Branch; later Chief, Intelligence Applications Division; and Chief, Military Intelligence Program Resources Division; Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Directorate; Headquarters Air Force; the Pentagon; Arlington, Va.
10. August 2007 - July 2009, Commander, 373rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, and Commander, Misawa Security Operations Center, Misawa Air Base, Japan
11. August 2009 - September 2010, Director, Plans, Programs, Requirements and Assessments, Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency, Lackland AFB, Texas
12. September 2010 - July 2012, Commander, 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
13. July 2012 - June 2013, Vice Commander, Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency, Lackland AFB, Texas with duty at Fort George G. Meade, Md.
14. June 2013 - June 2014, Deputy to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Headquarters International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and as Deputy Director, Intelligence, United States Forces – Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan 
15. August 2014 - July 2016, Director of Intelligence, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany
16. July 2016 - present, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence, NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium**SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS**
1. June 1999 - June 2002, operations planner, and Chief, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Branch, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany as a major and lieutenant colonel
2. August 2007 - July 2009, Commander, 373rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, and Commander, Misawa Security Operations Center, Misawa Air Base, Japan as a colonel
3. June 2013 - June 2014, Deputy to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Headquarters International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and as Deputy Director, Intelligence, United States Forces – Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan as a brigadier general
4. August 2014 - July 2016, Director of Intelligence, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany as a brigadier general
5. July 2016 - present, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence, NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium as a brigadier general**MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS**
Defense Superior Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters 
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster **EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION**
Second Lieutenant	June 19, 1987
First Lieutenant	Oct. 17, 1989
Captain	Oct. 17, 1991
Major	Sept. 1, 1997
Lieutenant Colonel	May 1, 2001
Colonel	Nov. 1, 2006
Brigadier General       Aug. 2, 2013
(Current as of July 2018)
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