Mr. James J. Kren, a member of the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service, is the Director, Systems Development in the Concepts, Development and Management Office, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Arlington, Virginia. He advises Department of Defense and Air Force leadership on emerging technologies, policies, programs, operational requirements and critical technology protection. Mr. Kren leads concept and technology development activities and delivers artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities to key missions. He provides senior policy, resource, program and technical expertise to the DoD Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team and oversees the Provisional Program Activity Office for sustained creation and brokerage of training quality data enabling algorithm development.
Mr. Kren previously served as Deputy Director, Defense Security Service and was the principal advisor and consultant to the Director of DSS. He formulated policy, managed agency resources, partnered with defense industry and led operational activities to accomplish DSS’s mission. Prior to his time at DSS, he served as the General Manager of the Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation Systems Agency, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, where he directed the agency’s mission of enabling and enhancing multinational intelligence sharing and exchange. While serving in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, he was the senior advisor for Strategies and Plans to the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (Warfighter Support). During this time, he led the DoD Remodeling Defense Intelligence initiative and establishment of Joint Intelligence Operations Centers at the combatant commands and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Mr. Kren began serving at the Defense Intelligence Senior Level in 2004 and entered the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service in 2011; he also served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
EDUCATION
1986 Bachelor of Arts, Geography, University of Missouri, Columbia
1998 Master of Arts, National Security and Strategic Studies, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2002 Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Va.
2005 Executive Leader Program, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.
2012 Senior Joint Information Operations Applications Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2012 CAPSTONE General/Flag Joint Officer Course, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2019 Defense Executive Technology Entrepreneur Course, Washington, D.C.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. February 1987‒April 2000, Geographer, Systems Engineer and Physical Scientist, Defense Mapping Agency; Staff Officer, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, Washington, D.C.
2. April 2000‒April 2006, Senior Advisor for Strategies and Plans, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (Warfighter Support); and Deputy Director for the Cross Program Evaluation Directorate, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for C3I, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Arlington, Va.
3. April 2006‒January 2008, Director, International Intelligence Outreach, Intelligence Systems Support Office (ISSO), Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Arlington, Va., with assignment to North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Brussels, Belgium
4. January 2008‒July 2011, Executive Director, Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation Systems Agency, ISSO, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Brussels, Belgium
5. July 2011‒September 2011, Director of Innovation and Collaboration, ISSO, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Arlington, Va.
6. September 2011‒May 2019, Deputy Director, Defense Security Service, Quantico, Va.
7. May 2019‒present, Director, Systems Development, Concepts, Development and Management Office, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Arlington, Va.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Civilian Service Award, Secretary of Defense
Distinguished Service Award, Defense Security Service
Navy Commendation Medal
(Current as of August 2019)