Gary A. O'Connell, a Defense Intelligence Senior Leader, is Chief Scientist, National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. NASIC is the Air Force and Department of Defense Center of Excellence for all-source air and space intelligence. It supports. As Chief Scientist, he guides the 3,000-person center's analytic production mission, ensuring timely delivery of relevant intelligence data products and services to Air Force and joint operational warfighters, acquisition and force modernization communities, and senior defense and intelligence community policymaking customers.Gary has served in a variety of assignments within the intelligence community during his Air Force career. He began his government career as a co-op student with the Naval Surface Weapons Center in Dahlgren, Va. Upon graduation from the University of Cincinnati, Gary started work as an air-to-air missile analyst for the Foreign Technology Division, now known as NASIC. Gary began serving as Chief of the Air-to-Air Weapons Branch in 1988 and held several leadership positions throughout the organization leading to his appointment as Associate Chief Scientist for the center's Global Threat Directorate in 1997. In 2004, he earned the rank of Defense Intelligence Senior Leader and assumed his current position as NASIC's chief scientist in July 2005. Gary is a member of national-level intelligence community boards and during his career has served as the U.S. Air Force representative to both the Weapon and Space Systems Intelligence Committee's Aerodynamic Missile Systems Subcommittee and the Scientific and Technical Intelligence Committee. In 2007, he earned a Presidential Rank Award as a Meritorious Senior Professional.