February 13-14, 2003
 Wyndham Palace
 1900 Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
 407-827-2727

Invited Speakers

The Honorable James G. Roche

Dr. James G. Roche is the 20th Secretary of the Air Force. In this role, he is responsible for the affairs of the Department of the Air Force, including the organizing, training, equipping, and providing for the welfare of its nearly 370,000 men and women on active duty, 180,000 members of the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve, 160,000 civilians, and their families. As head of the Department of the Air Force, Secretary Roche is responsible for its functioning and efficiency, the formulation of its policies and programs, and the timely implementation of decisions and instructions of the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense. With an annual budget of approximately $68 billion, he ensures the Air Force can meet its current and future operational requirements.

Prior to this appointment, Secretary Roche held several executive positions with Northrop Grumman Corporation, including Corporate Vice President and President, Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman in 1984, he was Democratic Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.

Secretary Roche's previous military service spanned 23 years in the United States Navy, retiring with the rank of captain in 1983. As a naval officer, his assignments included Principal Deputy Director of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff; Senior Professional Staff Member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; and Assistant Director for the Defense Department's Office of Net Assessment. He commanded the USS Buchanan, a guided missile destroyer, and was awarded the Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy for the Navy's most improved combat unit in the Pacific in 1974.

Secretary Roche has served as a member of the Secretary of Defense's Policy Board and is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and the International Institute of Strategic Studies. Dr. Roche has been awarded various campaign ribbons and military medals, including the Legion of Merit.

General John P. Jumper

Gen. John P. Jumper is Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipage of 710,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President.

The general was born in Paris, Texas. He earned his commission as a distinguished graduate of Virginia Military Institute's ROTC program in 1966. He has commanded a fighter squadron, two fighter wings, a numbered Air Force, and U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Allied Air Forces Central Europe. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as Commander of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va.

The general has also served at the Pentagon as Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, as the Senior Military Assistant to two secretaries of defense, and as Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff for Roles and Missions. A command pilot with 4,000 flying hours, principally in fighter aircraft, the general served two tours in Southeast Asia, accumulating more than 1,400 combat hours.

Rebecca Grant

Rebecca Grant is president of IRIS Independent Research, which she founded in 1995.  Her professional research interests center on joint doctrine and air power employment in joint campaigns.   Recent IRIS Independent Research projects include a study of the F-22, analysis of Operation Allied Force and a report on innovation processes in the Department of Defense.  She is the author of The B-2 Goes to War (2001) and The Radar Game (1999) as well as magazine articles on aspects of aerospace power.  Dr. Grant is also a fellow of the Eaker Institute of Aerospace Concepts, the public policy and research arm of the Air Force Association.

Previously, Grant worked in the operations group of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force as well as for the Secretary of the Air Force.  Her portfolio there included strategic force reductions, bomber programs, assessing logistics costs and the Air Force Roles and Missions project of 1994.  Her first job was with RAND in Santa Monica.

Trained in the field of international relations, she received a B.A. from Wellesley College in 1985 and a Ph.D. in International Relations from the London School of Economics, University of London in 1989.

General Hal M. Hornburg

Gen. Hal M. Hornburg is Commander, Air Combat Command, with headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Va. He is responsible for organizing, training, equipping and maintaining combat-ready forces for rapid deployment and employment while ensuring strategic air defense forces are ready to meet the challenges of peacetime air sovereignty and wartime defense. ACC is comprised of more than 1,000 aircraft and 100,000 active-duty military and civilian members at 26 major installations in the United States, Iceland and Portugal. When mobilized, more than 700 aircraft and 64,000 Air Force Reservists and Air National Guardsmen are assigned to ACC. The command provides nuclear forces for U.S. Strategic Command, air defense forces for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, and theater air forces for U.S. Joint Forces Command, U.S. Central Command, U.S. Southern Command, U.S. European Command and U.S. Pacific Command.

The general entered the Air Force in 1968 as a graduate of Texas A&M University's ROTC program. He has commanded at all levels -- flight, squadron, wing, numbered air force and major command. He also commanded a composite fighter wing during Operation Desert Storm and the first Air Force composite wing during the service's reorganization in 1991-1992. He directed air operations over Bosnia, commanded the Joint Warfighting Center, served on the Joint Staff, and directed operations at Headquarters U.S. Air Force. He also has served as Tactical Air Command's F-15 demonstration pilot for the East Coast, as Air Force Liaison Officer to the U.S. Senate, and as Chief of the Air Force Colonels' Group. Prior to assuming his current position, the general commanded Air Education and Training Command. He is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours.

General Lance W. Lord

Gen. Lance W. Lord is Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. He is responsible for the development, acquisition and operation of the Air Force’s space and missile systems. The general oversees a global network of satellite command and control, communications, missile warning and launch facilities, and ensures the combat readiness of America’s intercontinental ballistic missile force. He leads more than 39,700 space professionals who provide combat forces and capabilities to North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Space Command.

General Lord entered the Air Force in 1969 as a graduate of the Otterbein College ROTC program. He completed a series of Air Staff and Department of Defense-level assignments in strategic missiles after serving four years of Minuteman II ICBM alert duty. He directed the Ground-Launched Cruise Missile Program Management Office in Europe. He was a Military Assistant to the Director of Net Assessment with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and represented the Air Force as a research associate in international security affairs at Ohio State University.

General Lord commanded two ICBM wings in Wyoming and North Dakota. In California he commanded a space wing responsible for satellite launch and ballistic missile test launch operations. He served as Director of Plans and as Vice Commander for Headquarters Air Force Space Command. The general led Air Force education and training as Commandant of Squadron Officer School, Commander of 2nd Air Force, Commander of Air University and Director of Education for Air Education and Training Command. Prior to assuming his current position, General Lord was the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff for Headquarters U.S. Air Force.

Admiral James O. Ellis, Jr.

Admiral James O. Ellis Jr., is Commander in Chief, United States Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. The Command has responsibility for all U. S. Air Force and U. S. Navy strategic nuclear forces supporting the national security objective of strategic deterrence.

Adm. Ellis is a 1969 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He was designated a Naval Aviator in 1971 and has held a variety of sea and shore assignments since 1972.

His sea duty billets as a Navy fighter pilot included tours with Fighter Squadron 92 aboard USS Constellation (CV 64) and Fighter Squadron 1 aboard USS Ranger (CV 61). Adm. Ellis was the first Commanding Officer of Strike/Fighter Squadron 131, deploying in 1985 with new F/A-18 Hornets aboard USS Coral Sea (CV 43). He served as Executive Officer of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and as Commanding Officer of USS LaSalle (AGF 3), the Arabian Gulf flagship of the Commander, Joint Task Force, Middle East. In 1991 he assumed command of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and participated in Operation Desert Storm while deployed during her maiden voyage in the western Pacific and Arabian Gulf. In June 1995, Adm. Ellis assumed command of Carrier Group FIVE/Battle Force SEVENTH Fleet, breaking his flag aboard USS Independence (CV 62), forward deployed to the western Pacific and based in Yokosuka, Japan. As Carrier Battle Group Commander he led contingency response operations to both the Arabian Gulf and Taiwan Straits.
Adm. Ellis holds Master of Science degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and in Aeronautical Systems from the University of West Florida. He is also a 1975 graduate of U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. He completed U.S. Navy nuclear power training in 1987 and is a graduate of the Senior Officer Program in National Security Strategy at Harvard University. His personal awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (four awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), and the Navy Commendation Medal, as well as numerous campaign and service awards.
Adm. Ellis is a native of Spartanburg, S.C.

Lieutenant General Paul V. Hester

Lt. Gen. Paul V. Hester is Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. The command is a major command of the U. S. Air Force and the Air Force component of U.S. Special Operations Command. AFSOC provides Air Force Special Operations Forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to regional unified commands. The command has approximately 12,500 active duty, Reserve, Air National Guard and civilian professionals.

General Hester was commissioned through the ROTC program at the University of Mississippi. He entered the Air Force in January 1971 and earned his wings in December 1971 at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. His aviation career includes flying tours in the A-7D, F-4, F-15 and F-16, with a combat tour in Southeast Asia. Additionally, he has served as an instructor in the A-7D, F-4 and F-15 in operational and training units. General Hester has commanded the 94th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker's famed "Hat in the Ring Gang," 18th Operations Group, 35th Fighter Wing and the 53rd Wing. Prior to assuming his current position, the general served as Commander of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base, and in 2000, was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.

The general’s staff tours include duty in the Directorate of Plans, as a member of the Commander's Action Group at Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Chief of the Air Force's Legislative Liaison Office at the U.S. House of Representatives, Division Chief in J-5 of the Joint Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Vienna and Austria, and Director of Air Force Legislative Liaison for the Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

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