Under his leadership Major General James redirected the DMA – a heritage organization of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency – from producing products to meet the requirements of the Cold War to a concept of a Global Geospatial Information System (GGIS) directly accessible to combat commanders of the Rapid Deployment Forces.

Commissioned into the U.S. Air Force through the Reserve Officers Training Corps program, Major General James received his pilot wings in July 1959.

[3][1] James spent six years as an instructor pilot, officer training instructor, and flight examiner at Greenville Air Force Base (AFB) and Moody AFB, Georgia, before being assigned to the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, England, and then to the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Bien Hoa Air Base, Vietnam.

[3][1] After serving at Headquarters Allied Forces Central Europe, Brunssum, Netherlands, in the Plans Division, Nuclear Operations Branch, Major General James became commander of the 55th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, at Royal Air Force Station Upper Heyford, England.

In May 1978 he was assigned as chief of the Plans, Operations, and Readiness Division, Air Directorate, National Guard Bureau, Washington, DC.