Bruce Allen Carlson (born October 3, 1949), was the 17th Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). He is a former four-star general in the United States Air Force and served as the sixth Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The command conducts research, development, test and evaluation, and provides acquisition management services and logistics support necessary to keep Air Force weapon systems ready for war. After over 37 years of service, he retired from the Air Force on January 1, 2009. Carlson served as a general authority and a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from April 2009 to October 2015. Biography Carlson was born in Hibbing, Minnesota, in 1949. He was commissioned in 1971 after completing the University of Minnesota Duluth's Air Force ROTC program as a distinguished graduate. He has held various assignments in flying units. Staff assignments have included positions at Tactical Air Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the offices of the Secretary of the Air Force and Secretary of Defense, and as the director of force structure, resources and assessment with the Joint Staff. Additionally, he commanded the Air Force's 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman AFB, New Mexico Prior to assuming his current position, Carlson served as the Commander, 8th Air Force, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, and Joint Functional Component Commander for Space and Global Strike, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Nebraska Carlson is experienced in multiple aircraft weapons systems, is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours, and has combat experience in the OV-10. In April 2009, Carlson was called as a general authority and a member of the LDS Church's Second Quorum of the Seventy. In June 2009, he was appointed by President Barack Obama as director of the NRO, an agency that operates the nation's reconnaissance satellites. On April 18, 2012, Carlson announced his resignation as director of the NRO, effective July 20, 2012. As of 2020, Carlson is on the boards of Lockheed Martin and Benchmark Electronics. LDS Church service Prior to his call as a general authority in April 2009, Carlson served in the church as an elders quorum president, young men president, bishop, high councilor, and an adviser to the church's Military Advisory Committee. Carlson served as one of two area supervisors of the church's Middle East/Africa North Area from 2012