James Robert Clapper Jr. is a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general and intelligence official who served as the fourth Director of National Intelligence (DNI) from August 2010 to January 2017. In this role, he led the entire U.S. Intelligence Community and served as the principal intelligence advisor to President Barack Obama. His career in military and intelligence service spanned over five decades, beginning with his enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1961 and culminating as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and senior uniformed intelligence officer in the Department of Defense[2][6]. Clapper flew 73 combat support missions over Laos and Cambodia during the Southeast Asia conflict and held key intelligence leadership positions, including director of intelligence for U.S. Forces Korea, Pacific Command, and Strategic Air Command. After retiring from the military in 1995, he worked in the private sector focusing on intelligence community services and returned to government service as the first civilian director of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, transforming it into the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He also served as Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence prior to becoming DNI[2][3][4][5]. During his tenure as DNI, Clapper oversaw intelligence support to major operations such as the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 and emphasized integration across the intelligence community. His leadership helped establish joint intelligence centers and improve real-time intelligence support for policymakers and military commanders. Clapper has received numerous awards, including three National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medals, two Defense Distinguished Service Medals, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, and the presidentially conferred National Security Medal[1][3][4][5]. Since retiring from government, Clapper has remained engaged in public discourse on intelligence and security issues, including through speaking engagements and affiliations with academic institutions. He published a memoir titled *Facts and Fears: Hard Truths from a Life in Intelligence* and remains a recognized figure in U.S. national security circles[7].