Lt. Gen. Max “Harpo” Pearson serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence. He is responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight and leadership of the Air Force’s Intelligence operations. As the Air Force's Senior Intelligence Officer, he is directly responsible to the Director of National Intelligence and the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. He leads four directorates and supports a 36,000-person enterprise with a portfolio valued at $35 billion across the Air Force.
Lt. Gen. Pearson earned his commission as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1998. He has operational experience in the Indo-Pacific Command, Central Command, and European Command areas of responsibility. He has commanded at the squadron and wing levels. His staff assignments include tours at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Air Staff and Joint Staff. Prior to his current position, he served as the Deputy Director of Operations for Combat Support at the National Security Agency.
EDUCATION
1998 Distinguished Graduate, Bachelor of Science, History, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1999 Diplôme, Institut d'Études Politiques, Paris, France
2000 Master of Arts, Foreign Area Studies, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt.
2001 Distinguished Graduate, Intelligence Applications Officer and Fundamentals of Intelligence Course, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
2003 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2005 Distinguished Graduate, Intelligence Sensor Weapons Instructor Course, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2011 Distinguished Graduate, Master of Military Science, Marine Corps University, Quantico, Va.
2016 Distinguished Graduate, Master of Science, National Security Strategy, National War College, Washington, D.C.
2018 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C.
2022 Artificial Intelligence for National Security, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1998–June 2000, Gerhart Fellow, Université La Sorbonne and l’Institut d'Études Politiques, Paris, France
2. July 2000–March 2001, Student, Intelligence Officer School, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
3. April 2001–April 2002, Flight Commander, 303rd Intelligence Squadron, Osan Air Base, South Korea
4. May 2002–December 2004, Collection Manager, Command Intelligence Briefer, Chief of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Plans, 32nd Air Intelligence Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
5. January 2005–June 2005, Student, Intelligence Sensor Weapons Instructor Couse, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
6. July 2005– July 2008, Chief of Academics and Assistant Director of Operations, 19th Weapons Squadron, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. July 2008–July 2010, Director of Operations, 6th Intelligence Squadron (Distributed Ground System-3), Osan AB, South Korea
8. July 2010–June 2011, Student, Marine Command and Staff College, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Va.
9. June 2011–July 2013, Special Assistant to the CJCS, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
10. July 2013–June 2015, Commander, 316th Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
11. July 2015–June 2016, Student, National War College, Washington, D.C.
12. July 2016–July 2017, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Fellow, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Washington, D.C.
13. July 2017–June 2018, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Fellow, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of Net Assessment, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. June 2018–June 2020, Commander, 480th ISR Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
15. June 2020–September 2021, Military Assistant, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. September 2021–June 2022, Director, ISR Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. June 2022–June 2024, Director of Operations and Military Deputy, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Springfield, Va.
18. June 2024–August 2025, Deputy Director of Operations for Combat Support, National Security Agency, Fort George G. Meade, Md.
19. August 2025–present, Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2011–July 2013, Special Assistant to the CJCS, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel
2. June 2020–September 2021, Military Assistant, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
3. June 2022–June 2024, Director of Operations and Military Deputy, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, as a brigadier general
4. June 2024–August 2025, Deputy Director of Operations for Combat Support, National Security Agency, as a brigadier general
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Force Commendation Medal
Air and Space Force Achievement Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
(Current as of August 2025)