Scott MacDonald

Mr. Scott A. MacDonald currently serves as the Chief Scientist in DIA’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC). He advices DIA leadership on scientific and technical matters directly related to collection, analysis, and production on threat weapon systems in MSIC’s area of responsibility. MSIC is responsible for scientific and technical intelligence analysis of various threat weapon systems, providing detailed assessments of threat system design, development, operation, characteristics, performance, limitations, and vulnerabilities to national policymakers and the DoD acquisition and warfighter communities. 

Mr. MacDonald was appointed to the Defense Intelligence Senior Level in July 2019. He previously served as the Senior Defense Intelligence Analyst for Weapons Analysis at MSIC. Prior to his appointment, Mr. MacDonald served in various analytic and leadership positions throughout MSIC. From 2017 to 2019, he was the acting SDIA for Weapons Analysis. From 2016 to 2017, Mr. MacDonald was the acting branch chief for the ballistic missile systems branch overseeing more than 20 analysts responsible for all-source analysis of worldwide ballistic missile development and operations. He served as a division SIO from 2011 to 2016 directing analytic efforts on complex, all-source scientific and technical intelligence analysis for ballistic missile systems. 

Mr. MacDonald served as the chairman of the Ballistic Missile Systems Subcommittee (BMSS) of the Weapons and Space Systems Intelligence Committee. In this role, he advised the National Intelligence Council on issues concerning foreign ballistic missile systems research, development, and deployment. He also coordinated intelligence community positions related to foreign ballistic missile systems. 

Born and raised in Tennessee, Mr. MacDonald received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Mississippi State University in 1995 and a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Mississippi State University in 1996. He currently resides in Huntsville, AL with his wife Kristi and their son and daughter.