Steve Nystrom

1986 - 1992. Armor and Military Intelligence Officer forward deployed to the 4th Battalion, 69th Armor, 2ng Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, West Germany. Successfully led the quick reaction force while assigned to the Hof Border Camp, near the East-West German Border during the Cold War. 

1992 - 1996. Lead Imagery Requirements Officer, Operational Intelligence Coordination Center, DIA. Successfully served as Imagery Requirements Officer working in a 24/7, crisis response environment responsible for managing geospatial intelligence requirements for numerous customers worldwide including policy makers at the Department of State, U.S. Congress, and the National Command Authority, as well as, deployed forces conducting military operations in Iraq, the Former Yugoslavia, and other crisis locations.

1996 - 2017. Successfully supervised teams of civilian and military analysts responsible for providing Geospatial Intelligence information and products for time sensitive military operations and to U.S. policy makers to determine proper courses of action. This included deployments to Iraq whereby I supervised teams of four to twelve intelligence analysts responsible for providing geospatial intelligence to numerous Brigade Combat Teams and Headquarters elements assigned to the 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions, the 10th Mountain Division, as well as Department of State (DoS) Provincial Reconstruction Teams. The classified and unclassified geospatial intelligence information and products were critical to planning and executing both kinetic operations to neutralize insurgents, and non-kinetic operations involving civil capacity building (building roads, schools & hospitals) that were used to employ Iraqi citizens.

Both the NMU courses that I enrolled in and the professors who taught them were very instrumental in preparing me for a successful career in the U.S. intelligence community. Dr. Fred Berry's courses provided an overview of the U.S. intelligence community, how insurgencies and revolutions start, and what governments can do to prevent them by meeting the basic needs of their people. Dr. Robert Kulisheck's courses addressed national security matters, such as nuclear policy and diplomacy. Dr. Miodrag “Bata” Georgevich's courses taught me how international law and historical norms/precedents influence international relations between allies and enemies

My overall experience at NMU was excellent because of the relatively small class sizes that allowed my professors one-on-one time with me to determine what I was doing well or needed to be improved upon. Extracurricular organizations including the Political Science Symposium, Economics Club, and Alpha Kappa Psi that taught me a variety of things and gave me different perspectives to build upon. The quality of my NMU education was every bit as good as that of the people I met who attended the service academies and various high-ranking prestigious schools. It was also much more affordable and personalized. This is why I feel so strongly about the great education that I received at NMU!

Keep working hard, play by the rules, and be prepared to continue your education throughout your career. There is simply no substitute for hard work, grit, and perseverance! You must volunteer for high visibility and high-risk assignments/projects that take you out of your comfort zone. Just accept the fact that you may not always succeed but keep trying and always look to better yourself. Be prepared to continue to learn new skills involving technology and emotional intelligence. Remember, when you're done learning you're done!