BRIGADIER GENERAL GARY S. CONNOR

Brig. Gen. Gary S. Connor is the Deputy Program Manager, Ballistic Missile Defense System, Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Ala. He supervises the BMDS Program valued at more than $9 billion annually with more than 6,000 senior civilian, military and contractor personnel at nationwide offices. He directs BMDS program managers to include airborne laser; command, control, battle management and communications; worldwide deployment; European component; sensors; Ground-Based Midcourse Defense; Israeli Program; kill vehicles, kinetic energy interceptor; space tracking and surveillance system; targets; and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense. He is also responsible for acting on service-specific requirements and supervising the transition and transfer to the services of BMDS capabilities.

General Connor was commissioned in 1978 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the University of Lowell, Mass. He has served as program manager and branch chief for the F-16 program, and was System Program Director for both the Airborne Warning and Control System and the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System. The general has also served as Assistant Chief of Staff for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization at the Pentagon, as well as Materiel Wing Director for the Reconnaissance Systems Program Office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He has commanded the Battle Management Systems Wing as well as the Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems Wing, Electronic Systems Center, Hancom AFB, Mass. He served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Communications and Information Systems, Multi-National Force-Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Program Director, Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Joint Program Office, Missile Defense Agency.

General Connor is a graduate of the Defense Systems Management College Program Management Course, the Defense Acquisition University's Senior Acquisition Course, and he is a designated member of the Defense Acquisition Workforce. He is certified Level III in Program Management and is a fully qualified Joint Specialty Officer.

EDUCATION
1978 Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, University of Lowell, Mass.
1980 Master of Science degree in computer engineering, University of Lowell, Mass.
1985 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1989 Program Management Course, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Va.
1990 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1995 Master of Science degree in national resource strategy and graduate, Senior Acquisition Course, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2003 National Security Strategy Program, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, N.Y.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1978 - July 1982, data systems manager, later, computer systems project manager, Airborne Warning and Control System Program Office, Electronic Systems Division, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
2. August 1982 - May 1985, executive secretary to NATO AWACS Board of Directors, Brunssum, Netherlands
3. June 1985 - July 1985, student, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
4. August 1985 - May 1986, program element monitor, NATO and Saudi Arabia AWACS Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
5. June 1986 - December 1987, Deputy for E-3A AWACS, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
6. January 1988 - December 1988, executive officer to Director, Tactical Programs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
7. January 1989 - May 1989, student, Program Management Course, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Va.
8. June 1989 - May 1990, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. June 1990 - May 1992, Program Manager, Turkish F-16 Program, F-16 System Program Office, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
10. June 1992 - August 1993, Chief, F-16 Advanced Programs Branch, later, Chief, F-16 Management Control Division, F-16 SPO, ASC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
11. September 1993 - July 1994, executive officer to the Commander, ASC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
12. August 1994 - June 1995, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. July 1995 - December 1996, Assistant Chief of Staff, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
14. January 1997 - May 1999, System Program Director, AWACS, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
15. May 1999 - April 2002, System Program Director, Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System ESC, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
16. April 2002 - August 2004, Materiel Wing Director, Reconnaissance Systems Program Office, ASC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
17. August 2004 - January 2005, Commander, Battle Management Systems Wing, ESC, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
18. January 2005 - December 2005, Commander, Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems Wing, ESC, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
19. December 2005 - December 2006, Deputy Chief of Staff, Communications and Information Systems, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq
20. January 2007 - December 2008, Program Director, Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Joint Program Office, Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Ala.
21. December 2008 - present, Deputy Program Manager, Ballistic Missile Defense System, Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Ala. 

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. December 2005 - December 2006, Deputy Chief of Staff, Communications and Information Systems, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq, as a brigadier general
2. January 2007 - December 2008, Program Director, Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Joint Program Office, Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Ala., as a brigadier general
3. December 2008 - present, Deputy Program Manager, Ballistic Missile Defense System, Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Ala., as a brigadier general

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2003 Stewart Award for Excellence in Program Management, ASC

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Aug. 23, 1978
First Lieutenant Aug. 23, 1980
Captain Aug. 23, 1982
Major March 1, 1987
Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 1992
Colonel Dec. 1, 1997
Brigadier General July 1, 2005

(Current as of July 2009)