Lecturer & Military Historian
Frank Furr was born in North Carolina in 1941. He graduated from NC State University and upon graduation he entered pilot training in the US Air Force at Craig AFB, Alabama. Frank started his flying career as an interceptor pilot flying F-102s from Hahn Air Base in Germany. He volunteered for Vietnam duty as a Forward Air Controller flying OV-10s from DaNang Air Base and was the Commander of Prairie Fire Operations for the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron. In this position he led the air support of the covert Special Forces reconnaissance operations in Vietnam, Laos, and other areas. Returning from Vietnam, he was selected into the U-2 Dragon Lady program and became the Commander of the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron whose pilots fly all worldwide operational U-2 missions. In 1984 Frank started his assignments to high level intelligence/reconnaissance operations staff position and 1988 he was selected to become the Chief of Current Collection Operations in the Defense Intelligence Agency where he managed the overall collection plans and operation of the military’s airborne intelligence platforms. He was then asked to become the Military Advisor for Reconnaissance Activities to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.
Upon his retirement from the USAF in 1992 he accepted a position in an aerospace/defense high technology company and became the Vice President, Programs, for L-3 Communication Systems West. In this position he directed various secure communication programs with emphasis on providing real-time, actionable intelligence to war fighters, our national command authorities, and intelligence agencies. He recently retired from L-3 Communications.
He is a recognized authority on airborne reconnaissance operations, military intelligence operations, and the use of real-time communications to support critical missions. He started lecturing about his military experiences while still in the Air Force and was asked to be a Master of Ceremony at the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the First U-2 Flight. This was followed by several other speaking engagements to recognize this historical event. He continued to be requested to speak to various groups and while on a cruise he was asked to speak about his U-2 flying experiences. That has led to his becoming an enrichment lecture on his personal experiences and how military intelligence has influenced and contributed to world events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the War on Terrorism.
He holds a BS from NC State University, Raleigh, NC, and a MS from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO.
Frank has flown over 3500 hours, including 1300 in the U-2. Frank is the President of Furr Consultants, Inc., specialists in providing support for military intelligence and communication projects. With his experience in government and industry, he understands what is required to win contracts as well as to build confidence in your proposals and responses to inquiries.