[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 59 (Friday, April 11, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5335-S5336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO MAJOR GENERAL A. BOWEN BALLARD

  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam President, I take this opportunity to recognize 
the retirement of a friend and outstanding Air Force Officer, Major 
General A. Bowen Ballard. Major General Ballard's superior and 
exceptionally distinguished Air Force career warrants comment as the 
Air Force says thank you and goodbye to one of its best.
  Major General Ballard has served this Nation and the United States 
Air Force for more than 37 years. His service has been marked by 
increasingly demanding command and staff positions, culminating as the 
Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air University, Maxwell AFB, 
AL.
  Throughout his military service, Major General Ballard has served 
with distinction and honor. It is my privilege to recognize his many 
significant contributions and to commend him for his outstanding 
service. A son of Alabama, Major General Ballard grew up in Montgomery 
and attended elementary and junior high school in Cloverdale. After 
graduating from Lanier High School, he enlisted in the Alabama Air 
National Guard as an intelligence specialist, while at the same time he 
attended the University of Alabama earning a degree in business and 
finance.
  In 1966, he was commissioned and resumed his service in Air Force 
Intelligence. Major General Ballard attended the Air Intelligence 
School at Lowry Air Force Base, CO, and from 1967 until 1974, he filled 
various intelligence positions with the 187th Tactical Reconnaissance 
Group, Alabama Air National Guard.
  Leaving the Alabama Air National Guard and joining the Air Force 
Reserve in 1974, Major General Ballard was assigned to the Air Force 
Intelligence Service at Fort Belvoir, VA, where he played a key role in 
transitioning Air Force Special Operation Forces from the Tactical Air 
Command to the Military Airlift Command and participated with Air Force 
Special Operation Forces on an international basis. Major General 
Ballard was involved with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and 
the United States European Command for many years.
  During his assignment as the Mobilization Assistant to the Chief of 
Staff, Intelligence, Headquarters United States Air Force, Major 
General Ballard was recalled to active duty in a key position of 
leadership to manage the planning, directing, and establishing of 
policies and procedures for all USAF intelligence activities.
  As the Mobilization Assistant to the Director of the National 
Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Services, Fort George G. Meade, 
MD, Major General Ballard's guidance and direction was critical in 
identifying and resolving critical issues affecting the Air Force 
during one of the most turbulent and demanding times in our history.
  Major General Ballard frequently met with the senior military 
leadership, to include the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Air 
Force, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and members of the Senate 
and Congress, effectively presenting crucial positions involving 
specific operational intelligence and professional military education 
issues. He achieved unparalleled success in charting the strategic 
direction and employment concepts as the Chairman of the Assistant 
Secretary of Defense's Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence 
Steering Council. Major General Ballard represented commanders of the 
Air University and Air Force Space Command on numerous panels, boards, 
and work groups, including personally leading the development of 
creative and innovative improvements to the Joint Reserve Intelligence 
Program. Major General Ballard was directly responsible for 
identifying, developing and implementing a significantly new direction 
for Reserve Intelligence roles and missions in space operations. Under 
his untiring leadership, the Air Force Space Command Reserve 
Intelligence Program transformed into a vital partner in on-orbit space 
collection intelligence assessments.
  As the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air University, he 
assisted the commander with significant improvements to Air University 
schools in curricula and coursework, joint programs, faculty 
management, computer technology, and communications systems. As a 
result of his efforts, all graduates of Air Command and Staff College 
and Air War College now receive masters degrees in military science. 
Major General Ballard's leadership skills were constantly in high 
demand. For the Joint Chiefs, he developed the Joint Chiefs of Staff/
Department of Defense Strategic Plan, providing unprecedented joint 
contingency support to operations in both Operation Noble Anvil and 
Operation Allied Force. For the combatant commanders, he applied his 
focus on language and distributed joint reserve component intelligence 
operations and implemented a flexible solution which paid significant 
dividends in the military theater of operations and in the global war 
on terrorism. Major General Ballard also established the foundation for 
joint cryptology reserve component support to the European and Pacific 
Command. The formulation and justification of cryptolgic reserve 
support elements blossomed into greatly improved reserve component 
support in intelligence operations ensuring a significant reserve 
augmentation force well into the 21st century. Major General Ballard 
has demonstrated time and time again superior performance, planning, 
coordinating, directing, and managing of Air Force operational 
intelligence programs, and Air Force Reserve intelligence mission 
augmentation activities. Major General Ballard's

[[Page S5336]]

work with the Air University Integrated Program Review process resulted 
in significant increases in Individual Mobilization Augmentee positions 
to meet critical Air University mission needs. As a direct result, Air 
Reserve forces made significant and long-lasting contributions to 
successful Air University mission operations. From determining the 
effective and efficient use of Reserve Force personnel in war and 
during peacetime, to redefining roles, missions, force structure, 
training, morale, finance, recruiting, and retention, Major General 
Ballard always led from the front.
  We wish to extend congratulations to Major General Ballard on the 
occasion of his retirement. We are honored to recognize his many 
accomplishments and ask that our colleagues in the United States House 
of Representatives join in recognizing his very worthy achievements.

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