Harry E . Soyster Harry Edward Soyster ( born 6 June 1935 in Altoona , Pennsylvania ) is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General . Overview . He served as the Commanding General of the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command ( INSCOM ) . Upon promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General , Soyster served as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency at Bolling Air Force Base , Washington D . C . Soyster served in this role from December 1988 to September 1991 . Upon retirement he was the VP for International Operations for the private military firm Military Professional Resources Inc . He later served as Special Assistant to the SEC ARMY for WWII 60th Anniversary Commemorations . Soyster is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame and currently serves on numerous boards of directors and participates in studies on current issues . Lieutenant General Soyster has three daughters and six grandchildren . . Early life . Harry Edward Soyster was born on 6 June 1935 in Altoona , Pennsylvania and was raised in Hollidaysburg , Pennsylvania . He attended school there and was subsequently appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point , NY . General Soyster was an Eagle Scout , Class President , member of the first all - star football team from Hollidaysburg , and captained the first undefeated basketball team in the history of the school . Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recognized General Soyster for the highest average grade in math and science in his school . He was also recognized as best “ All - Around Boy ” by local town officials . General Soyster worked in a stone quarry and in construction during summer breaks from school . Education . Lieutenant General Soyster was commissioned a second lieutenant and awarded a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy . He also holds a master of science degree in chemistry from Pennsylvania State University and a master of science degree in management from the University of Southern California and attended programs at Harvard University . His military education includes completion of the Field Artillery School , Basic and Advanced Courses ; the U . S . Army Command and General Staff College graduating in 1968 , and the National War College at Fort McNair , Washington DC graduating in 1977 . Military career . Soyster has held a wide variety of important commands and staff positions including tours in Vietnam and Korea . He was chief of staff , 24th Infantry Division and Fort Stewart , Georgia , and Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence Systems and Automation , Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence , Headquarters , Department of the Army . General Soyster served in diverse and significant assignments before becoming DIA director . His initial overseas assignment was in Italy with the 1st Battalion , 80th Artillery as platoon commander and assistant operation officer . He was next an assistant professor of chemistry at the US Military Academy . In Vietnam , he was executive officer and subsequently operations officer of the 2nd Battalion , 35th Artillery , II Field Force , U . S . Military Assistance Command Vietnam ( MACV ) . On return to the United States he was assigned as a personnel staff officer , Strength Requirements Branch , Capabilities and Analysis Division , Procurement and Distribution Directorate , Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel , U . S . Army , Washington , D . C . He served as staff operations watch officer and later operations and plans officer , Joint Reconnaissance Center , Operations Directorate , J3 , Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , Washington , D . C . He returned overseas to serve as commander of the 1st Battalion , 31st Field Artillery , 2nd Infantry Division , Korea , and later as commander , 2nd Battalion , 17th Field Artillery , 2nd Infantry Division , Korea . Upon return to the United States , he served at Carlisle Barracks , Pennsylvania , as chief of oral history , U . S . Army Military History Research Collection . After attending the National War College at Fort McNair , he was assigned chief of the Audit and Inspection Compliance Division , U . S . Army Inspector General Agency , Washington , D . C . He then served as commander , Division Artillery and then Chief of Staff , 24th Infantry Division , Fort Stewart , Georgia . Upon promotion to brigadier general he was assigned as Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence , Department of the Army , Washington , D . C . He was promoted to major general and assigned as Commanding General of the U . S . Army Intelligence and Security Command , Arlington Hall Station , Virginia . Then promoted and assigned , Director , Defense Intelligence Agency General Soyster oversaw the Defense intelligence effort in support of the successful U . S . intervention in Panama in 1989 ( Operation JUST CAUSE ) . This operation demonstrated the benefits of increased cooperation and planning that had been achieved between DIA and operational force planners , especially when compared to the 1983 Grenada incursion ( Operation URGENT FURY ) . The Agency provided threat data on “ hot spots ” throughout the Middle East , Africa , and Asia , and weighed the impact of changes in the Soviet Union , Eastern Europe , and to a lesser degree , Asia , on the rest of world . It supplied decision makers with intelligence support concerning the final Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan , events surrounding the downing of two Libyan jets , the civil war in Liberia , the Flight 103 investigation at Lockerbie , Scotland , and the Tiananmen Square incident in China . Weapons acquisition issues , counternarcotics , counterterrorism remained a high priority throughout the Defense Intelligence Community . The end of the Cold War resulted in a reevaluation of the intelligence mission throughout the Intelligence Community as a new era began with the fall of the in many East European countries , the reunification of Germany , and ongoing economic reforms in the region . Emphasis was placed on improved management of DoD - wide intelligence production , but reduced resources threatened to have a negative impact on Agency objectives and manpower levels . Organizationally , the general emphasized the functional manager system as a programming mechanism for addressing the issues of the Unified & Specified Commands . The Assistant Secretary of Defense ( Command , Control , Communication , and Intelligence ) relationship to DIA was enhanced with authority , direction , and control prerogatives . The deputy director position became a civilian position to insure that a substantive intelligent officer would hold that position . The previous two - star position was moved to J - 2 and the title changed accordingly . Iraq ’ s invasion on 2 August 1990 of Kuwait resulted in a coalition of UN forces that resolved to liberate that country . DIA warned of the Iraqi threat in late July . An intensive and extensive 24 - hour operation went into effect in DIA with daily tailored intelligence support to coalition forces , participation in daily press briefings , and the full range of printed product support to numerous consumers . All phases of the Agency ’ s workforce and more than 2 , 000 people contributed to Operation DESERT SHIELD . A Joint Intelligence Center ( JIC ) was established to integrate intelligence produced by all sectors of the community . No set of combat commanders has ever had as full and complete a view of his adversary as did U . S . and coalition field commanders during DESERT STORM , and this conflict remains one of the greatest examples of intelligence support to operational forces in modern times . For its achievements during the crisis and conflict , DIA received its second Joint Meritorious Unit Award from the Secretary of Defense , personally presented by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , General Colin L . Powell , on 26 June 1991 . In post - military work General Soyster was employed by L - 3 Communications Corporation ’ s Military Personnel Resources Incorporated ( MPRI ) , retiring in 2005 . In response to a query regarding his view on torture in 2007 – in the aftermath of the disclosure of “ waterboarding ” of Al - Qaeda terrorists – General Soyster gave the following opinion : “ Experienced military and intelligence professionals know that torture , in addition to being illegal and immoral , is an unreliable means of extracting information from prisoners . Much is being made of former CIA official John Kiriakou ' s statement that waterboarding " broke " a high - value terrorist involved in the 9 / 11 plot . There are always those who , whether out of fear or inexperience , rush to push the panic button instead of relying on what we know works best and most reliably in these situations . I would caution those who would rely on this example . It is far from clear that the information obtained from this prisoner through illegal means could not have been obtained through lawful methods . The FBI was getting good intelligence from this prisoner before the CIA took over . And there are numerous examples of cases where relying on information obtained through torture has disastrous consequences . The reality is that use of torture produces inconsistent results that are an unreliable basis for action and policy . The overwhelming consensus of intelligence professionals is that torture produces unreliable information . And the overwhelming consensus of senior military leaders is that resort to torture is dishonorable . Use of such primitive methods actually puts our own troops and our nation at risk . ” Awards , decorations and badges . Personal awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , Army Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , Legion of Merit , Bronze Star for Valor and one oak leaf clusters , one Bronze Star for Meritorious Service , Purple Heart , Army Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , the Air Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters , the Joint Service Commendation Medal , the Army Commendation Medal , the National Defense Service Medal , the Vietnam Service Medal with four stars , Army Service Ribbon , Army Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 2 , the Vietnam Campaign Medal , and the Korea Defense Service Medal . Unit awards include the Joint Meritorious Unit Award , the Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation , and the Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation . Badges include the Parachutist Badge , Ranger tab , the Army General Staff Identification Badge , and the Joint Staff Identification Badge , the Defense Intelligence Agency Badge , and the Expert Marksmanship Badge . General Soyster is also the recipient of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal and the Military Intelligence Corps Knowlton Award . He is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame .