James Arthur Williams (born March 29, 1932 – October 31, 2017) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. Williams served as Director of the

Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, specializing in defense and military intelligence. A component of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the ...

in the 1980s. He was a 1987 inductee of the

Military Intelligence Hall of Fame The Military Intelligence Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established by the Military Intelligence Corps of the United States Army in 1988 to honor soldiers and civilians who have made exceptional contributions to military intelligence. The hall is ...

and was the chairman of the board of directors for the National Military Intelligence Association.

Early life and education

Williams was born in Paterson, New Jersey on March 29, 1932. As a youth, Williams paid his first visit to the

U.S. Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in May 1938, and four years later began his first Federal Service in May 1942 as a volunteer aircraft spotter for the 2nd Anti-Aircraft Region. As a youth he was active in sports, playing baseball, running track and swimming. He was a member of the 1950 NJ Group II State Basketball Championship Team and garnered Group II All State Honors. He was also an avid hiker and skier. In 1954, Williams graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and initially commissioned as a second lieutenant in

Air Defense Artillery The Air Defense Artillery Branch is the branch of the United States Army that specializes in anti-aircraft weapons (such as surface to air missiles). In the U.S. Army, these groups are composed of mainly air defense systems such as the Patrio ...

. He received a Master of Arts degree in

Latin American Studies Latin American studies (LAS) is an academic and research field associated with the study of Latin America. The interdisciplinary study is a subfield of area studies, and can be composed of numerous disciplines such as economics, sociology, history ...

from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

in 1964. His military education includes completion of the Air Defense Basic Officers Course, the United States Army Intelligence School, th
Artillery Officers Career Course
the United States Army

Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

, the Defense Intelligence School, and the National War College.

Career

Williams began his career with

assignments, but except for a tour with the Field Command of th
Defense Atomic Support Agency
his subsequent assignments were in the intelligence field. After assignments with th

Detachment,

Fort Amador Fort Amador ( es, Fuerte Amador) and Fort Grant were former United States Army bases built to protect the Pacific (southern) end of the Panama Canal at Panama Bay. Amador was the primary on-land site, lying below the Bridge of the Americas. Grant ...

Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terri ...

and the 471st Counterintelligence Corps Detachment,

Fort Brooke Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida in 1824. Its original purpose was to serve as a check on and trading post for the native Seminoles who had been confined ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

, he was assigned to th
US Army Combat Developments Command
at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

, where he was project intelligence officer for Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance and Surveillance, 1975 (TARS-75). After this, he served as the Assistant Army Attaché in Caracas, Venezuela. He then commanded the

1st Military Intelligence Battalion 1st Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation), nicknamed the "Flying Eye Battalion", is a unit of the United States Army which specializes in the acquisition of aerial signals information in direct support of the 66th Military Intelli ...

(Provisional), 525th Military Intelligence Group, United States Army Vietnam supporting the III Marine Amphibious Force(III MAF) and then served in th
Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations
in Washington, DC. Remaining in Washington, Williams was named the Director of Political/Military Affairs, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, State Department an
Chief, Counterintelligence and Collection Division, and then Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Headquarters, Department of the Army.
From there he assumed command of th

(Counterintelligence) at the

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. ACO's and SHAPE's commander is t ...

. Upon return to the United States, he was assigned to the

as Chief, Missile Forces/Strategic Arms Limitation Branch, Soviet/Warsaw Pact Division, and he later served as the Deputy Director for Estimates. Prior to his return to the

as its director, Williams served a
Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, United States Army
and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, United States Army, Europe, leading the first team of DOD analysts to provide strategic early warning of Contingency Planning for Martial Law in Soviet-dominated Poland vice Warsaw Pact intervention. In September 1981, he was appointed the Director of DIA. Williams culminated 31 years service with a four-year tour as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). He was the senior intelligence officer (SIO) for the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

(DoD) and directed

intelligence analysis Intelligence analysis is the application of individual and collective cognitive methods to weigh data and test hypotheses within a secret socio-cultural context. The descriptions are drawn from what may only be available in the form of deliberate ...

for DoD and the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

. He initiated widespread use o
open source collection
of foreign scientific and technical information by DIA as well as establishment of th

Under the General's supervision DIA, in conjunction with the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

, brought into operation the Secure Analyst File Environment(SAFE) an interactive system of intelligence analyst files. Under his direction DIA established the first formal requirements for imagery from civilian satellites such as

LANDSAT The Landsat program is the longest-running enterprise for acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth. It is a joint NASA / USGS program. On 23 July 1972, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite was launched. This was eventually renamed to La ...

. Williams was also instrumental in creating the first computerized threat methodologies for DoD and established the first threat validation system for th
Defense Acquisition Cycle
Williams focused the Agency on enhancing support to tactical and theater commanders, improving capabilities to meet major wartime intelligence requirements, and strengthening indications and warning assets. In this regard he was responsible for establishing the first terrorism warning billets in the Agency and for placing the first

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

Attachés on station. During his tenure the Defense Intelligence College was chartered by Congress to award a master's degree of Strategic Intelligence, the first federally chartered institution to be authorized to award a graduate level degree. In December 1981,

President Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

signe
Executive Order 12333
giving the Intelligence Community a mandate for the years ahead. In response to a requirement to improve intelligence support to the Unified & Specified Commands' war-fighting capabilities, the functional manager for intelligence processing was established in 1982. Th
Central America Joint Intelligence Team (CAJIT)
was established in 1984 as an interagency analytical task organization focused on insurgency in Central America. DIA also created the Intelligence Communications Architecture to improve DoD's ability to disseminate national level intelligence to tactical commanders during contingency situations. The concept of intelligence as

became a predominant theme in planning as DIA began structuring an all source integrated database to support the Unified & Specified Commands in assessing the threat in the field Williams established
Research Crisis Support Center
to provide a centralized, operationally secure, all-source, crisis management center to support the National Military Intelligence Center (NMIC) and the Unified & Specified Commands. As events deteriorated in

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

, DIA analysts provided extensive support to the

U.S. Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida in Greater Miami, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning, o ...

. Other analysis focused on the Falkland Islands War and Israel's invasion of Lebanon. When 6,000 U.S. troops invaded Grenada during Operation URGENT FURY in 1983, DIA's Task Force responded to numerous formal taskings for briefings and information, and distributed a wide variety of intelligence summaries to assist field commanders during the operation. The planning process for URGENT FURY was greatly facilitated by a number of intelligence products that had been prepared as early as 1979, bringing high praise for DIA's support and services. Other DIA analytical efforts during the year centered on the continuing crises in

, Lebanon (the attack on the Marine barracks),

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

, and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, as well as the Soviet shoot-down of KAL 007, the civil war in Chad, and unrest in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. A significantly larger number of hijackings, bombings, kidnappings, murders, and other acts of terrorism led to characterizing 1985 as the "Year of the Terrorist." Finally, Williams oversaw the Agency's move into its new headquarters at

Bolling Air Force Base Bolling Air Force Base or Bolling AFB was a United States Air Force base in Washington, D.C. In 2010, it was merged with Naval Support Facility Anacostia to form Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling. From its beginning, the installation has hosted el ...

from

Arlington Hall Station Arlington Hall (also called Arlington Hall Station) is a historic building in Arlington, Virginia, originally a girls' school and later the headquarters of the United States Army's Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) cryptography effort during Worl ...

. The Defense Intelligence Analysis Center (DIAC) was dedicated on May 23, 1984. Since his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1985, Williams has served as senior consultant for a variety of projects dealing with the collection, processing and analysis of intelligence; integration of intelligence data processing systems and revitalization of the civil remote sensing program. Williams played a major role as an advisor for two projects to improve imagery collection management. He also serves as a member of intelligence advisory panels for Los Alamos and

Sandia National Laboratories Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), also known as Sandia, is one of three research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Headquartered in Kirtland Air Force Bas ...

and is a member of the Special Technologies Advisory Panel for the

Department of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-re ...

. Williams was one of the pioneers in the use of open source data for commercial purposes. Since 1987 he has been President of the Direct Information Access Corporation (DIAC), which specializes in the production of commercial intelligence. Williams served for five years as the Chairman of a task force overseeing the creation of the Defense HUMINT Service

He also served as an advisor for the Army on the

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controll ...

Program and played a major role on two projects to improve imagery collection management. Following are some of the programs and groups that he has participated in: * USAREUR Polish Crisis Action Team Lead * JTTRS – Joint Tactical Radio System
Joint Logistics Study
* DOD Biometric Task Force Senior Review Group * DCI Training Review

– Referee, player and script writer at various times
Task Force Williams
DIA HUMINT review

for the Congressional Committee on Science and Technology * Author
DOD Requirements Management Study
* Author of OSD Review of Counterintelligence Proposals

Awards and decorations

Williams' military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

with "V" Device and Oak Leaf Cluster, the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

Joint Service Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

, the

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

, The

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

, the

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. Arm ...

with four stars, the

Army Service Ribbon The Army Service Ribbon (ASR) is a military award of the United States Army that was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990. History Effective 1 A ...

, the Army Overseas Service Ribbon, the

Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal The Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal ( vi, Danh-Dự Bội-Tinh) was a Orders, decorations, and medals of South Vietnam, military decoration of South Vietnam that was first created on January 7, 1953. The medal was awarded in two clas ...

, and the

Vietnam Campaign Medal The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal ( vi, Chiến Dịch Bội Tinh), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949, and awarded to French military personnel during the First ...

. Unit awards include the

Army Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...

, and the

Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation The Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross also known as the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross or Vietnam Cross of Gallantry ( vi, Anh-Dũng Bội-Tinh) is a military decoration of the former Government of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam). The medal ...

, the

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and the German Order of the Knights Commander. Badges include the

Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge The Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge is a military badge issued to members of the United States armed forces who are permanently assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and its subordinate offices, and in ...

, Joint Staff Identification Badge, the Army General Staff Identification Badge, the

Badge, and the Expert Marksmanship Badge. Williams is also the recipient of the

National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal The National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal (NIDSM) is a decoration awarded for service to the United States Intelligence Community. The decoration is awarded to any member or contributor to the National Intelligence Community, either ...

, He is a member of the Military Attaché Hall of Fame and is a Distinguished Member of the

Medals and ribbons

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(with Valor Device and Oak Leaf Cluster) , - , ,

Army Meritorious Service Medal __NOTOC__ The Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) is a military award presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, ...

(with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters) , - , ,

(with Oak Leaf Cluster) , - , Joint Service Commendation ribbon

, - ,

, Army Commendation Medal , - , ,

with oak leaf cluster , - , ,

(with 3 stars) , - ,

, - ,

, Army Overseas Service Ribbon (with numeral 3) , - , Vietnam Hazardous Service Medal ribbon

Hazardous Service Medal The Hazardous Service Medal ( vi, Ưu-Dũng Bội-Tinh) was a single-grade decoration awarded by South Vietnam. Established in 1964, the medal was awarded to military personnel by the Chief of the Joint General Staff, Republic of Vietnam Armed For ...

, - ,

, Vietnam

Armed Forces Honor Medal The Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal ( vi, Danh-Dự Bội-Tinh) was a military decoration of South Vietnam that was first created on January 7, 1953. The medal was awarded in two classes and reached its height of bestowal during th ...

, 1st class , - , , French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, Officer , - , GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 5 GrVK Stern 218px

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

, Commander's Cross with Star , - , Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp

, - , - style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;" , colspan=2 , Unit awards , - , , Army Meritorious Unit Commendation with Oak Leaf Cluster , - ,

, - , - style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;" , colspan=2 , Qualification badges , - , align=center ,

, - , align=center , Joint Chiefs of Staff seal

Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

, - , align=center ,

Army Staff Identification Badge The United States Army Staff Identification Badge is a badge of the United States Army worn by personnel who serve at the Office of the Secretary of the Army and the Army Staff at Headquarters, Department of the Army ( HQDA) and its agencies. N ...

, - , align=center , Defense Intelligence Agency Badge

Badge , - , align=center , US Army Expert Marksmanship Qualification Badge-Generic

, Expert Marksmanship Badge , - , , Combat Service (Vietnam War – II Field Force Vietnam) , - , - style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;" , colspan=2 , National non-military awards , - , NIDRib

, - , Defense Intelligence Agency Director's Award

Personal

Williams died in 2017 as the result of injuries sustained from a fall. He was interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

on March 12, 2018.

References

* ''This entry is based on the biography o
page 119 of ''Army Executive Biographies'', DA Pamphlet 360-10, May 15, 1985
'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, James A 1932 births 2017 deaths Military personnel from Paterson, New Jersey United States Military Academy alumni University of New Mexico alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army generals Directors of the Defense Intelligence Agency Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Burials at Arlington National Cemetery

Early life and education

Career

Awards and decorations

Medals and ribbons

Personal

See also

References