Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Kruse is the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. As the Director of DIA, Lt. Gen. Kruse serves as the Department of Defense’s senior military intelligence official supporting the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, military services, combatant commands and the Director of National Intelligence by providing intelligence, counterintelligence, enterprise management, acquisition support, secure communications and crisis support to policymakers and warfighters around the globe.
Prior to assuming his role at DIA, Lt. Gen. Kruse served as the Advisor for Military Affairs for the Director of National Intelligence and was awarded the National Intelligence Superior Service Medal. In this capacity—in partnership with executive leaders across DoD and the Intelligence Community—he oversaw and advocated for activities, capabilities and policies to drive enduring DoD-IC integration. Lt. Gen. Kruse also served as the Director for Defense Intelligence for Warfighter Support in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
Lt. Gen. Kruse has extensive operational and combat experience in multiple theaters around the globe. He served as the Director of Intelligence for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, deployed as the Director of Intelligence for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in the Middle East and served as the Senior Special Advisor to the Commander of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Throughout his career, Lt. Gen. Kruse commanded Air Force and joint units at the squadron, group and wing levels. Other assignments included serving as Chief of Legislative Affairs for U.S. Strategic Command and as a programmer, panel chair, and head of the Air Force’s “Engine Room,” which develops the service’s annual budget.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
1991 Distinguished Graduate, Intelligence Officer Training, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
1996 Honor Graduate, Master of Science, Strategic Intelligence, Joint Military Intelligence College, Washington, D.C.
1997 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 Master of Arts, National Security and Strategic Studies, with Highest Honors, College of Naval Command and Staff, U.S. Naval War College, Distinguished Graduate, Newport, R.I.
2008 Master of Science, National Security Strategy, National War College, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS OR CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. April 1991–November 1991, Student, Intelligence Officer Training, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
2. November 1991–December 1993, Chief of Intelligence, 682nd Air Support Operations Center, Shaw AFB, S.C.
3. January 1994–July 1994, Deputy Chief, Training and Tactics, 609th Air Intelligence Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
4. July 1994–August 1995, Chief, Intelligence Section, 78th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
5. September 1995–September 1996, Student, Joint Military Intelligence College, Washington, D.C.
6. September 1996–September 1997, Instructor and Course Supervisor, Intelligence Applications Officer Course, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
7. September 1997–June 1998, Executive Officer, 17th Training Wing, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
8. June 1998–July 2000, Commander, 314th Training Squadron, Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
9. August 2000–January 2002, Chief, Strategic and Theater Targeting Sections, then Chief, Hard and Deeply Buried Targets Branch, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
10. January 2002–July 2003, Special Assistant to the Commander in Chief and Chief, Legislative Affairs, USSTRATCOM, Offutt AFB, Neb.
11. August 2003–June 2004, Student, College of Naval Command and Staff, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
12. July 2004–April 2005, Chief, Intelligence Force Management Branch, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
13. May 2005–June 2006, Commander, Pacific Air Forces Air Intelligence Squadron, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
14. June 2006–June 2007, Deputy Director of Intelligence, Seventh Air Force, and Deputy Commander, 607th Air Intelligence Group, Osan Air Base, South Korea
15. July 2007–June 2008, Student, National War College, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
16. July 2008–February 2010, Chief, Information Superiority Division, then Chief, C2 and Cyber Superiority Division, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
17. March 2010–June 2010, Chief, Program Integration Division (“Engine Room”), Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
18. July 2010–July 2012, Commander, 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
19. July 2012–June 2014, Commander, 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
20. June 2014–May 2015, Senior Special Assistant to the Commander, U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Mons, Belgium
21. June 2015–June 2016, Director of Intelligence, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, Southwest Asia
22. July 2016–July 2019, Director for Intelligence, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii
23. July 2019–August 2020, Director of Defense Intelligence (Warfighter Support), Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Intelligence & Security), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
24. August 2020–February 2024, Director’s Advisor for Military Affairs, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, McLean, Va.
25. February 2024–present, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency, JB Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2000–July 2003, Chief, Strategic and Theater Targeting and Chief, Hard and Deeply Buried Targets, then Special Assistant to the CINC and Chief, Legislative Affairs, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., as a captain and major
2. June 2014–May 2015, Senior Special Assistant to the Commander, U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Mons, Belgium, as a colonel
3. June 2015–June 2016, Director of Intelligence, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), Southwest Asia, as a brigadier general
4. July 2016–July 2019, Director for Intelligence, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii, as a brigadier general and major general
5. July 2019–August 2020, Director of Defense Intelligence (Warfighter Support), Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Intelligence & Security), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a major general
6. August 2020–February 2024, Director’s Advisor for Military Affairs, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, McLean, Va., as a lieutenant general
7. February 2024–present, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency JB Anacostia-Bolling, as a lieutenant general
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
National Intelligence Superior Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Army Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze star
Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal with two bronze stars
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korean Defense Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship (Pistol)
Kuwait Liberation Medal - Government of Kuwait
(Current as of March 2024)