Lieutenant General John F. Kimmons became Director of the Intelligence Staff for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence effective 28 February 2009.

General Kimmons was commissioned as a Military Intelligence (MI) Corps Second Lieutenant in 1974 upon graduation from The Citadel, Military College of South Carolina. Initially detailed to Armor Branch, he started his career as a tank Platoon Leader and Battalion S-2 in the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Carson, Colorado. He subsequently served as the Division's Second Brigade S-2.

Later command and staff assignments include Analyst, Intelligence Center Pacific, Camp Smith, Hawaii, Company Commander and S-3, 313th Military Intelligence Battalion, 82d Airborne Division, and Deputy G-2, 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Bad Kreuznach. He has had a number of Special Operations assignments, to include J-2, Joint Special Operations Command. His Brigade Command was the U.S. Army Security Coordination Detachment, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. General Kimmons served as Deputy Director for Operations, National Military Command Center, and as J-2, Director of Intelligence, United States Central Command. He later commanded the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and most recently served as U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2.

His military education includes the Armor Basic and MI Advanced Courses, Post Graduate Intelligence Program, Army Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma.