Maj. Gen. Robert M. Haire, U.S. Air Force Reserve, replaced retired Maj. Gen. Edward A. Leacock, U.S. Army National Guard, as the DIA Mobilization Assistant (MA).
Reporting Sept. 25, 2013, to DIA, Maj. Gen. Haire has served in military intelligence for more than 32 years, devoting his entire military professional career to intelligence. In February 2012, he pinned on his second star while serving as the mobilization assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance at U.S. Air Force Headquarters in Washington, D.C. In that assignment, he was responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight, and leadership of Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
Haire previously worked for DIA from April 1985 to August 1989 as a young captain. “I am, in addition to what I am doing here, chairman of the [Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence’s] Reserve Military Intelligence General Officer Steering Committee. All general officers across the services are represented there,” Haire said. “We look at Reserve issues across the services and address them, and link them up to USDI for their advocacy.”
In his previous position as mobilization assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Haire said, “I heard about MG Leacock’s announcement to retire as DIA’s MA. I previously worked with LTG Flynn and liked the changes he was implementing at DIA. And so I was excited at the opportunity and began pursuing it.”
Haire spoke about his refreshing leadership philosophy: “I like to think of myself as a consensus builder and a team builder. As a reservist, I work to bring the world of civilians and military together. As a representative of both groups, I see both as highly professional. I realize they can only benefit from working together. I don’t see myself as autocratic. It’s not just my way or the highway,” said Haire.
As a reservist, Haire is not always on active military duty. As a civilian, he has worked as an attorney and most recently as the director of the prelaw program at the University of Georgia.
When asked what or who helped him to achieve his career goals Haire said when he was younger, the greater influence was his mother. “She always believed in me and supported me in anything that I wanted to do, Haire said. As I grew older, and married, the person most influential in my life has easily been my wife, Susan. She has always supported my military career and had been a great life partner. She has realized great success in her own career as she currently is a professor at the University of Georgia,” said Haire.
As for what brought Haire to where he is today — hard work, commitment, and working for good bosses who gave him the opportunity to prove himself have been keys to his success during his military career.