Brig. Gen. Scott A. Bethel is the Vice Commander, Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, with duty location at Fort George G. Meade, Md. The AF ISR Agency organizes, trains, equips, and presents assigned forces and capabilities to conduct ISR for combatant commanders and the nation. The agency implements and oversees execution of Air Force policy and guidance to expand ISR capabilities to meet current and future challenges. More than 19,000 AF ISR Agency personnel worldwide provide flexible collection, analysis, weapons monitoring, and operational intelligence to joint warfighters and national agencies.
General Bethel is a 1985 graduate of Officer Training School. His commands include an intelligence squadron and group, as well as a training wing. He has also served as chief of unit-level intelligence; Air Staff action officer and long-range budget programmer; and graduate-level intelligence instructor. He was NATO's Chief Targeteer during Operation Allied Force and has deployed five times to combat areas, most recently as Chief of Intelligence Collection Management, Multi-National Force-Iraq. Prior to his current position, he was Director, Strategy, Integration and Doctrine, Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
EDUCATION
1985 Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb
1990 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1992 Master of Science degree in strategic intelligence, Joint Military Intelligence College, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.
1995 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2001 National Defense Fellowship, Boston University, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1985 - May 1986, student, Intelligence Operations Course, Lowry AFB, Colo.
2. May 1986 - June 1987, intelligence analyst and command briefer, 6th Tactical Intelligence Group, Osan Air Base, South Korea
3. June 1987 - June 1990, Chief, Intelligence Operations, 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
4. June 1990 - June 1991, student, Joint Military Intelligence College, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.
5. June 1991 - March 1993, Chief, International Training, Joint Military Intelligence College, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.
6. March 1993 - July 1995, Functional Manager, Combat Intelligence System, and Chief of Doctrine, Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
7. July 1995 - June 1996, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. June 1996 - June 1998, Commander, 32nd Intelligence Squadron, Fort George G. Meade, Md.
9. June 1998 - July 1998, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
10. July 1998 - August 1998, student, Air Force Targeting School, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
11. August 1998 - May 2000, Chief, Conventional Targets Team, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Mons, Belgium
12. May 2000 - June 2001, senior executive officer, Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, SHAPE, Mons, Belgium
13. June 2001 - June 2002, student, National Defense Fellowship, Boston University, Mass.
14. June 2002 - December 2003, Chief, Information Superiority Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
15. December 2003 - August 2005, Commander, 497th Intelligence Group, Langley AFB, Va.
16. August 2005 - March 2007, Commander, 17th Training Wing, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
17. March 2007 - July 2010, Deputy Director of Intelligence, Operations and Nuclear Integration for Technical Training, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas
18. July 2010 - December 2010, Director, Strategy, Integration and Doctrine, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
19. December 2010 - present, Vice Commander, Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency, Lackland AFB, Texas, with duty location at Fort George G. Meade, Md.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1991 - March 1993, Chief, International Training, Joint Military Intelligence College, Washington, D.C., as a captain
2. August 1998 - May 2000, Chief, Conventional Targets Team, SHAPE, Mons, Belgium, as a major and lieutenant colonel
3. May 2000 - June 2001, senior executive officer, Assistant Chief of Staff Operations, SHAPE, Mons, Belgium, as a lieutenant colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Action Medal - Ground
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Medal with bronze star
Kosovo Campaign Medal with bronze star
Iraq Campaign Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal with bronze star
NATO Medal (Former Republic of Yugoslavia) with bronze star
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait)
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1985 Honor graduate, Air Force Intelligence School
1990 Officer of the Year, Tactical Air Command and 9th Air Force Intelligence
1998 Federal Executive Gold Medal Award Winner
2000 Senior Intelligence Officer of the Year, NATO
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Aug. 21, 1985
First Lieutenant Aug. 21, 1987
Captain Aug. 21, 1989
Major Dec. 1, 1995
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 1999
Colonel Aug. 1, 2003
Brigadier General July 3, 2009
(Current as of May 2012)