James L. Pavitt (born February 19, 1946 - died December 22, 2022) was Deputy Director for Operations (DDO) for the CIA from June 23, 1999, until July 12, 2004, when he resigned a day after George Tenet.
He was a Principal of The Scowcroft Group, an international business advisory firm,[2] and was formerly on the board of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO).
[1] Pavitt served in the United States Army from 1969-1971 as an intelligence officer and was a legislative assistant with the House of Representatives from 1971 until 1973.
[5] From 1990 to 1993, he served on the National Security Council team under Brent Scowcroft as Senior Intelligence Advisor to President George H. W.
Gordon Oehler, then Chief of the Directorate of Intelligence's Non-Proliferation Center, criticized this as being redundant and stepping on his turf.
[5] After September 11, 2001, Pavitt was responsible for sending Special Activities Division teams to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, and Somalia to capture Al Qaeda members.
[7] The commission's report said that shortly after Bush's election, Pavitt told the President-elect that Osama bin Laden was one of the gravest threats to the country.
He also added that killing the Al Qaeda leader would have an effect but not stop the threat posed by the terrorist organization.