Brigadier General Richard M. Scott is deputy director (operations and administration) for the Defense Atomic Support Agency.

General Scott was born in Lancaster, Pa., in 1918, graduated from Lancaster Boys' High School and received a bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., in May 1942. At the same time he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. In June 1942 he reported for flight training at Helena, Ark., and received his pilot wings in December 1942 at George Field, Ill.

His early assignments were in fighter aircraft with the Fourth Fighter Command in California. In January 1944 he was assigned to the 364th Fighter Group which deployed to the 8th Fighter Command in England. He participated in the air offensive against Germany. In March 1944 he failed to return from a mission against targets in the area of Brunswick, Germany. General Scott spent four months as an evadee in occupied Holiand, Belgium and France. Subsequently, he was captured and imprisoned at Stalag Luft III at Sagan, Germany. Later he returned through Allied lines in April 1945.

From August 1945 to November 1948, he served as a fighter test pilot at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and later with the Cold Weather Test Detachment at Ladd Air Force Base, Alaska, where he was also, in succession, the director of supply and maintenance, and operations officer.

General Scott was assigned as a student to the Air Command and Staff College in January 1949. Upon graduation in June he became the Air Force liaison instructor to the Transportation School, Fort Eustis, Va. From November 1952 to February 1954, he was assigned to the Directorate of Operations, Tactical Air Command, Langley Air Force Base, Va. In April 1954 he became the director of operations, 18th Fighter Bomber Wing, Osan, Korea. During this assignment he assumed command of the 67th Fighter Bomber Squadron which served in Taiwan and Okinawa. After returning to the United States, he graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va., in January 1956. In February 1956 he was assigned to Field Command, Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, as an operations plans officer and later as chief, Stockpile Operations Branch.

More recent assignments have been in the atomic energy field of activity. These include: deputy chief, Research and Development Branch; chief of the Production and Storage Branch, Division of Military Application, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Washington; and chief of the Nuclear Plans Section, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Paris and Belgium. He became deputy assistant to the secretary of defense (atomic energy) in July 1967.

General Scott is a graduate of the National War College, Fort McNair, July 1963. He holds a master of arts degree in international affairs awarded by The George Washington University. While he was attending graduate school at the University of New Mexico, he became a member of the Phi Sigma Alpha honorary political science fraternity.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1970, General Scott served as mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania from 1973 to 1979. He was promoted to major general in the Air National Guard and served as Adjutant General of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1986.

(Current as of Sept. 1, 1968)