Mr. Brett Markham

Chief of Staff, NGA

Mr. Brett Markham serves as the National 

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Chief of 

Staff. In this role, he is a member of NGA’s 

executive leadership team and its third 

ranking officer responsible for daily agency 

operations. Mr. Markham oversees the 

Agency's executive support staff, 

administrative services, logistics, personnel 

security, human resources, employee 

training and development, corporate 

communications, and congressional 

engagement. He became NGA’s Chief of Staff on Apr. 27, 2020.

Previously, Mr. Markham was the West Executive (WX) and dualhatted as the Deputy Associate Director of Operations. He 

represented the Director and Deputy Director at NGA’s 

Campuses in St. Louis and assisted with the integration of all 

activities across the West. He was responsible for coordination of 

enterprise, cross-cutting activities across all Agency key 

components in the West, and maintained open communication 

between leadership and the workforce. As Deputy Associate 

Director of Operations, he provided direct oversight of the NGA 

Operations Center, the Office of NGA Defense, the Office of 

Expeditionary Operations and NGA leadership at the three NRO 

Aerospace Data Facilities. He coordinated and synchronized 

operational collections and requirements, planning, and worldwide 

management, to include directing analytic capabilities, and 

ensuring geospatial data is accessible and discoverable for users 

and customers. He prioritized assets to oversee crisis 

management, deployment of personnel, capabilities, and 

additional mission and operational activities.
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Mr. Markham was commissioned in June 1983 through the Naval 

Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Auburn University. He 

served in various analytic, staff and leadership positions over the 

course of his 28 year naval career that included five strategic 

deterrent patrols, three carrier deployments, and service at three 

Combatant Commands and the Joint Staff. He also served as the 

Deputy Director of Intelligence (DJ2) for North American 

Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States 

Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and as the Director of 

Intelligence (J2), United States Transportation Command.

Mr. Markham previously served as the Director of Analytic

Operations (D/AO) in the Analysis Directorate. As such, he was 

the Senior NGA officer responsible for the integration, execution 

and transformation of GEOINT operations across Analysis 

Directorate offices and NGA Support Teams working all 

intelligence mission issues. Immediately prior to that assignment, 

he served as the Associate Deputy Director for Operational 

Engagement (ADD/AE) and was responsible for providing 

strategic, transformation-oriented leadership to all Analysis 

Directorate entities at partner locations, in other intelligence 

agencies, combatant commands, and service intelligence centers. 

He has also served as the Deputy Director of the NGA Operations 

Center.

Personal awards include the NGA Medallion for Excellence, DIA 

Directors Award, Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), 

Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Meritorious 

Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (two awards), and the 

Navy Achievement Medal