James H. Harrell II

James H. Harrell II, a member of the Senior Executive Service, serves as the acting Assistant Director for the Integrated Operations Division at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In this role Harrell helps lead CISA’s mission to share information and deliver services to local communities that increase the security and resilience of US critical infrastructure. 

Previously, he was the Associate Director for CISA Operations in the Integrated Operations Division of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In that role he led CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center and supported CISA’s 10 Regional 0ffices across the United States along with more than 600 field personnel in their efforts to protect the Nation’s critical infrastructure from physical and cyber threats. 

Prior to joining CISA, Harrell served as the Director, Joint Information Operations Warfare Center, a Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Controlled Activity headquartered in the NCR and operating worldwide. He led a team of U.S. and Allied uniformed and civilian Information Warfare experts enabling the application of informational power at the strategic level and supporting application of informational power at the operational and tactical level, and he performed CJCS responsibilities as Proponent for Joint Information Operations, Operations Security, and Military Deception.

Harrell is a retired Soldier who was commissioned in 1991 as an Armor officer via Officer Candidate School. He led tactical units in South Korea, Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Fort Benning. He volunteered for the Army’s Information Operations career functional area at the time of its formation, and has served as a member of Army, joint, and combined teams conducting operations in the information environment from the tactical through the national strategic level since 2002. As a proponent for the transformation of DoD Operations in the Information Environment, he led foundational technical and non-technical modernization and innovation initiatives across the DoD, with the Department of State, the National Security Council and with industry.