William K. James
Major General William K. James of United States Air Force, was director of the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) between June 1990 and June 1993. Under his leadership Major General James redirected the DMA – a heritage organization of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency – from producing products to meet the requirements of the Cold War to a concept of a Global Geospatial Information System (GGIS) directly accessible to combat commanders of the Rapid Deployment Forces. The GGIS was a major paradigm shift in warfare with the delivery of geographic information to fast-moving military forces. Career. Maj. Gen. William  K. James earned a BS in geology from Southern Methodist University in 1958 and completed Squadron Officer School in 1964, Armed Forces Staff College in 1973, and Air War College in 1978. Commissioned into the U.S. Air Force through the Reserve Officers Training Corps program, Major General James received his pilot wings in July 1959. He spent six years as an instructor pilot, officer training instructor, and flight examiner at Greenville Air Force Base (AFB) and Moody AFB, Georgia, before being assigned to the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, England, and then to the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Bien  Hoa Air Base, Vietnam. In December 1969 he was assigned to the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing at Nellis AFB, Nevada, as flight commander, squadron weapons officer, squadron chief of training and scheduling, and standardization-evaluation flight examiner. After serving at Headquarters Allied Forces Central Europe, Brunssum, Netherlands, in the Plans Division, Nuclear Operations Branch, Major General James became commander of the 55th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, at Royal Air Force Station Upper Heyford, England. In May 1978 he was assigned as chief of the Plans, Operations, and Readiness Division, Air Directorate, National Guard Bureau, Washington, DC. He  served as vice commander and then wing commander of the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing at Cannon AFB, New Mexico; commander of the 552d Airborne Warning and Control Wing, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma; commander of the 552d Airborne Warning and Control Division; and commander of the newly activated 28th Air Division. In September 1986 he reported to Royal Air Force Station Mildenhall, England, as commander of 3rd Air Force and later served as deputy chief of staff for operations, Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, Virginia. He served as deputy commander in chief for U.S. Southern Command, Panama. He took charge as  director of the Defense Mapping Agency in June 1990. He retired on July 1, 1993. Accolades. Major General James is a command pilot with almost 6,500 flying hours and 180 combat missions in Vietnam. His awards and decorations include: