GENERAL DUNCAN J. MCNABB is Commander, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. USTRANSCOM is the single manager for global air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense.
General McNabb graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1974. A command pilot, he has amassed more than 5,400 flying hours in transport and rotary wing aircraft. He has held command and staff positions at squadron, group, wing, major command and Department of Defense levels. During operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, General McNabb commanded the 41st Military Airlift Squadron, which earned Military Airlift Command's Airlift Squadron of the Year in 1990. The general commanded the 89th Operations Group, overseeing the air transportation of our nation's leaders, including the President, Vice President, Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense. He then served as Commander of the 62nd Airlift Wing. The wing's performance in 1996 earned the Riverside Trophy as the 15th Air Force's outstanding wing. He also commanded the Tanker Airlift Control Center and Air Mobility Command.
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General Craig R. McKinley
Chief, National Guard Bureau
GEN. CRAIG R. MCKINLEY is Chief, National Guard Bureau, a joint activity of the Department of Defense, Arlington, Va. As Chief, he is the senior uniformed National Guard officer responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, programs and plans affecting more than half a million Army and Air National Guard personnel. Appointed by the President, he serves as principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on National Guard matters. He is also the principal adviser to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Army, and the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on all National Guard issues. As National Guard Bureau Chief, he serves as the department's official channel of communication with the Governors and Adjutants General.
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General Douglas M. Fraser
Commander, US Southern Command
GEN. DOUGLAS M. FRASER is Commander, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla. USSOUTHCOM is responsible for all Department of Defense security cooperation in the 45 nations and territories of Central and South America and the Caribbean Sea, an area of 16 million square miles.
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General Raymond E. Johns Jr.
Commander, Air Mobility Command
GENERAL RAYMOND E. JOHNS JR. is Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Air Mobility Command's mission is to provide rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America's armed forces. The command also plays a crucial role in providing humanitarian support at home and around the world. The men and women of AMC - active duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and civilians - provide airlift, aerial refueling, special air mission and aeromedical evacuation.
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General Mark A. Welsh III
Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe
GENERAL MARK A. WELSH III is Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, Air Component Command, Ramstein; and Director, Joint Air Power Competency Center, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He is responsible for Air Force activities, conducted through 3rd Air Force, in an area of operations covering almost one-fifth of the globe. This area includes 51 countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and the Arctic and Atlantic oceans with a total population reaching nearly one billion people speaking more than 80 languages. He also has administrative control of 17th Air Force, providing support, logistics and resources to U.S. Africa Command.
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General William L. Shelton
Commander, Air Force Space Command
GENERAL WILLIAM L. SHELTON is Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. He is responsible for organizing, equipping, training and maintaining mission-ready space and cyberspace forces and capabilities for North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Strategic Command and other combatant commands around the world. General Shelton oversees Air Force network operations; manages a global network of satellite command and control, communications, missile warning and space launch facilities; and is responsible for space system development and acquisition. He leads more than 46,000 professionals, assigned to 88 locations worldwide and deployed to an additional 35 global locations.
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Heidi H. Grant
Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs
HEIDI H. GRANT, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, Washington, D.C. She provides oversight and guidance for international policy and programs supporting national security objectives through politico-military affairs; security assistance programs; technology and information disclosure; education and training; cooperative research and development; and attaché affairs.
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Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Roy
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT OF THE AIR FORCE JAMES A. ROY represents the highest enlisted level of leadership, and as such, provides direction for the enlisted force and represents their interests, as appropriate, to the American public, and to those in all levels of government. He serves as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force. Chief Roy is the 16th chief master sergeant appointed to the highest noncommissioned officer position.
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Lieutenant General Charles E. Stenner, Jr.
Chief of Air Force Reserve,
Commander Air Force Reserve Command
LT. GEN. CHARLES E. STENNER, JR. is Chief of Air Force Reserve, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., and Commander, Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Ga. As Chief of Air Force Reserve, he serves as principal adviser on Reserve matters to the Air Force Chief of Staff. As Commander of Air Force Reserve Command, he has full responsibility for the supervision of all U.S. Air Force Reserve units around the world.
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Lieutenant General Harry M. Wyatt III
Director, Air National Guard
LT. GEN. HARRY M. WYATT III is the Director, Air National Guard, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, plans and programs affecting more than 106,700 Guard members in more than 88 flying wings and 200 geographically separated units throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.
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Lieutenant General James M. Kowalski
Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command
LT. GEN. JAMES M. KOWALSKI is Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, La. He is responsible for organizing, training, equipping and maintaining all U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile and nuclear-capable bomber forces. The command's mission is to develop and provide combat-ready forces for nuclear deterrence and global strike operations to support the President of the United States and combatant commanders. The command comprises more than 23,000 professionals operating at various locations around the globe. The command's six wings control the nation's entire inventory of Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, B-2 and B-52 bomber aircraft.
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Major General Margaret H. Woodward
Commander, 17th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Africa
MAJOR GENERAL MARGARET H. WOODWARD is Commander, 17th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command serves as the Air Component for U.S. Africa Command and has responsibility for all Air Force activities in the Africa theater spanning 53 countries, 11 million square miles and more than 900 million people.
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John Andreas Olsen
Royal Norwegian Air Force
Dean, Norwegian Defense University College
JOHN ANDREAS OLSEN is the dean of the Norwegian Defense University College, head of its division for strategic studies, and visiting professor of operational art and tactics at the Swedish National Defense College. He is an active-duty colonel in the Norwegian Air Force and has lectured widely in Europe and the United States.
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Colonel Walter J. Boyne, USAF Ret.
Author
WALTER J. BOYNE received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Air Force Association in 2011. In 2007, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, in recognition of his many contributions to air and space. He is the former Chairman of the Board of Wingspan, the Air and Space television channel, and President of his own firm, Walter J. Boyne & Associates. The author of 54 books, he is one of the few persons to have had best sellers on both the fiction and the non-fiction list of the New York Times. A career Air Force officer, Boyne retired as a Colonel with 5,000 hours flying time in everything from the T-6 to the B-1B. After his retirement in 1974, he joined the National Air & Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. He became Acting Director in 1981 and Director in 1983. Upon his retirement in 1986, he began a third career of writing and consulting. His fourth career, in television, began ten years ago. His consulting clients include museums as well as aviation, publishing and television companies.
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Colonel Charles B. DeBellevue, USAF Ret.
Vietnam Ace
COL. CHARLES B. "CHUCK" DEBELLEVUEis a retired Air Force officer and Vietnam “Ace”. While flying during the Vietnam War, DeBellevue became the first Air Force Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) to become a flying "Ace". During his combat tours, DeBellevue logged over 550 combat hours while flying 220 combat missions, 96 of which were over North Vietnam. He is credited with a total of six MiG kills; the most earned by any U.S. aviator during the Vietnam War and is a recipient of the Air Force Cross.
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Airpower and National Strategy Panel
Dr. Rebecca Grant
Director of the Mitchell Institute
DR. REBECCA GRANT is the Director of The General Billy Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies. Her recent Mitchell Institute work includes “The Radar Game” and “The Vanishing Airpower Arsenal” She is the author of The B-2 Goes to War (2001) and is a contributing editor to Air Force Magazine.
David A. Ochmanek
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Development
DAVID OCHMANEK is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Development. Prior to joining the Office of the Secretary of Defense, he was a senior defense analyst and director of the Strategy and Doctrine Program for Project Air Force at the RAND Corporation, where he worked from 1985 until 1993, and again from 1995 until 2009. From 1993 until 1995, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy.
Prior to joining RAND, Mr. Ochmanek was a member of the Foreign Service of the United States, serving from 1980 to 1985 in the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, U.S. Embassy Bonn, and the Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs. From 1973 to 1978, he was an officer in the United States Air Force.
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Air Minded Airmen Panel
Lieutenant General Robert Elder, USAF Ret.
LT. GEN. ROBERT ELDER joined the research faculty at George Mason University following his retirement from USAF in July 2009 as the Commander of 8th Air Force. As a professor with the System Architectures Laboratory, he conducts research in cyber enterprise resiliency and the use of modeling to support national security decision making. He also facilitates collaboration among public and private sectors as an advisor to the Cyber Innovation Center in Louisiana.
Major General Charles Dunlap, USAF Ret.
MAJ. GEN. CHARLES DUNLAP JR. was Deputy Judge Advocate General, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. General Dunlap assisted The Judge Advocate General in the professional oversight of more than 2,200 judge advocates, 350 civilian attorneys, 1,400 enlisted paralegals and 500 civilians assigned worldwide. In addition to overseeing an array of military justice, operational, international and civil law functions, General Dunlap provided legal advice to the Air Staff and commanders at all levels.
Dr. Richard Andres
DR. ANDRES is a Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College. He is also a Senior Fellow and Chair of the Energy & Environmental Security Policy Program with the Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University.. Prior to joining NDU, Dr. Andres was a Professor of Security Studies at Air University. As a professor he has served in various senior policy positions including Special Advisor to the Commander of Air University and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force. He has also served as a consultant to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Office of Force Transformation, U.S. Strategic Command, the Nuclear Posture Review, the Council on Foreign Relations, and other organizations. His publications appear in such journals as International Security, The Journal of Strategic Studies, Security Studies, and Joint Force Quarterly. Dr. Andres was awarded the medal for Meritorious Civilian Service and has received numerous academic chairs, awards and fellowships. He received his PhD from the University of California, Davis.
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Robert Bruce Arnold
Proprietor of Chandelle Winery
ROBERT ARNOLD is the proprietor of Chandelle Winery in Sonoma, CA. Founded in 1986 by Robert, his late father, Bruce Arnold and his late mother, Barbara, Chandelle has consistently bottled Gold Medal winning small production wines.
Robert is not only a grandson of Henry ‘Hap’ Arnold, aviation pioneer and World War II commanding General of the Army Air Forces and a holder of Five Star Rank in both the US Army and the US Air Force, but he also a grandson of aircraft designer and builder Donald Douglas, Senior. Douglas Aircraft designed and built many famous airplanes including the Douglas World Cruisers and the DC-3. Hap Arnold and Don Douglas were longtime friends beginning in 1917.
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Checkmate and Black Hole Panel
Col. John A. Warden, USAF Ret.
Former Commandant of the Air Command and Staff College
JOHN ASHLEY WARDEN III is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force. Warden is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. His Air Force career spanned 30 years, from 1965 to 1995, and included tours in Vietnam, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Korea, as well as many assignments within the continental United States. Warden completed a number of assignments in the Pentagon, was a Special Assistant for Policy Studies and National Security Affairs to the Vice President of the United States, and was Commandant of the Air Command and Staff College.
Wayne Thompson
Historian
WAYNE THOMPSON was chief of analysis at the Air Force History Support Office, senior historical advisor for the Air Force’s Gulf War Air Power Survey, and the Air Force history program Checkmate liaison (1990-2003). He is the author of To Hanoi and Back: The U.S. Air Force and North Vietnam, 1966-1973.
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Chuck de Caro
CEO, Aerobureau Corporation
CHUCK DE CARO is an American strategist and futurist who originated the term SOFTWAR which is defined as: “The hostile use of global visual media to shape another society’s will by changing its view of reality.”
He teaches at the National Defense University, the National Defense Intelligence College and the US Air Force Academy, where in January 2011, his books, articles, DoD studies and videos on SOFTWAR were integrated into a new Military Science course on Information Warfare. Mr. de Caro also continues a twenty year long practice of doing studies for OSD/Net Assessment.
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Dr. Richard Downie
Director at the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies
RICHARD D. DOWNIE, Ph.D. was appointed Director of the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies by the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Located at the National Defense University, CHDS is one of five Department of Defense regional centers. Dr. Downie is a graduate of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point (Class of 1976), and holds a Masters of Arts Degree and Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Southern California.
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Energy Panel
Colonel Ronald T. Torgerson, USAF Ret.
Director of Business Development
RONALD A. TORGERSON is Director of Business Development, Johnson Controls Federal Systems, Building Efficiency, Hillside, Colorado, USA. He joined the firm in May 2009. He also serves as the firm's subject matter expert for USAF Antiterrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP). He has responsibility for business development in the federal sector. Johnson Controls, Inc, (NYSE:JCI) headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, is a global leader in automotive experience, building efficiency, and power solutions.
Lt. Col. Lucian Niemeyer, USAF Ret.
An advisor and functional expert to Senator John McCain and the committee for military readiness, defense budgets, basing, and installation programs. Areas of oversight include combat readiness, contracting/procurement policy, depot policy, military construction, Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), facility sustainment and investment accounts, family housing programs, housing and utility privatization, real estate management, host nation support, DOD energy and fuel programs and other installation programs. Also serves Senator Kelly Ayotte as the Ranking Minority Staff Director for the Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee. Joined the committee in January, 2003.
Col. Rich Fryer, USAF Ret.
RICH FRYER is the Energy Program Manager for ECC, a construction, environmental, and munitions clearance firm serving Federal Government clients in the U.S. and around the world. Rich leads ECC’s team responsible for planning, developing and building a renewable energy and energy efficiency business line for ECC. He serves as the firm’s technical lead for renewable energy, power purchase agreements, and energy-related enhanced use leases.
Mr. Alan Hurt
ALAN HURT has joined the Bioengineering Group as the V.P. for Sustainable Energy Innovations. Al’s experience and education directly supports the Group’s Mission of building sustainable communities on an ecological foundation with the promotion of an interdisciplinary approach to meet a successful project outcome and ensure their sustainability. Mr. Hurt’s prior experience included a position as VP for Regional Operations and Sustainability as well as his Department of Defense (DoD) civilian career which included supporting the DoD Regional Environmental Coordination Office, Navy Region SW and Naval Facilities Engineering Command. Mr. Hurt has more than 30 years of experience in strategic planning and environmental program management for Army, Navy (including Marine Corps) and Air Force programs which also include many Federal, including EPA, state and local collaborations.
Dr. Kevin T. Geiss
DR. KEVIN T. GEISS, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics, Washington, D.C. Dr. Geiss is responsible for providing oversight and direction for all matters pertaining to the formulation, review, and execution of plans, policies, programs, and budgets for the effective and efficient use of energy to support the global Air Force mission.
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Extended Deterrence Panel -
Flexible Approaches for the Future
Moderator Maj. Gen. William Chambers
Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration
Maj. Gen. William A. Chambers is Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters U. S. Air Force, Washington D.C. General Chambers is responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for focus on Nuclear Deterrence Operations. He advocates for and oversees stewardship of Air Force nuclear weapon systems. In addition, he integrates the organizing, training and equipping of the Air Force's nuclear mission, and engages with joint and interagency partners for nuclear enterprise solutions.
Mr. Mark Gunzinger
Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
Mr. Gunzinger most recently served as a senior advisor to the Air Force for the 2010 QDR. He previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Forces Transformation and Resources. Mr. Gunzinger has been a key player in every major defense review since the end of the Cold War. He supported the Air Force Secretary during the 1993 Bottom-Up Review, 1994 Commission on Roles and Missions, and the 2001 QDR. He is the principal author or co-author of multiple Defense Planning Guidance/Guidance for Development of the Force directives, the key strategic planning guidance documents that shape DoD force planning.
A retired Air Force Colonel and Command Pilot with 3000-plus flight hours, he joined the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 2004, serving OSD/Policy as Director of Resources He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service and served as Principal Director of the Department's central staff for the 2005-2006 QDR.
Ambassador Ronald F. Lehman
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Honorable Ronald F. Lehman II is the Director of the Center for Global Security Research (CGSR) at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and also is the Chairman of the Governing Board of the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC), an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Moscow. He serves on the U.S. Department of Defense Threat Reduction Advisory Committee (TRAC). Dr. Lehman had been Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency from 1989 to 1993. Previously, Ron served in the Defense Department as Assistant Secretary for International Security Policy, in the State Department as Ambassador and U.S. Chief Negotiator on Strategic Offensive Arms (START I), and in the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. He has also served on the National Security Council staff as a Senior Director, in the Pentagon as Deputy Assistant Secretary, on the Senior Professional Staff of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, and as a district adviser in Vietnam commissioned in the United States Army Military Intelligence Branch.
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Dr. Nayantara Hensel
Chief Economist, Department of the Navy
DR. NAYANTARA HENSEL is the Chief Economist for the Department of the Navy, and works in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Cost and Economics). She provides economic guidance on defense industrial base issues, growth projections, the federal budget, interest rates, unemployment, exchange rates, inflation, the financial health of defense contractors, as well as trends in the broader economy and in the defense sector. Dr. Hensel’s economic analysis, Economic Currents, is issued every two months to the Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations, the ASN’s and DASN’s, the DoD Comptroller, and other senior DoD and DoN leadership and covers many of these topics.
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Nathan Hodge
Author
NATHAN HODGE is a Washington, D.C.-based writer who specializes in defense and national security. He has reported from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia and many other countries in the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. His work has appeared in Slate, the Financial Times, Foreign Policy, and many other newspapers and magazines. He is also the author of Armed Humanitarians: The Rise of the Nation Builders.
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Industry Panel
Mr. James M. Dodd
Vice President of Advanced Boeing Military Aircraft
Boeing
JIM DODD is vice president of Advanced Boeing Military Aircraft. He is responsible for leading the Advanced Military Aircraft business element of Phantom Works in Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS). Advanced Boeing Military Aircraft is chartered with creating, shaping, capturing, maturing and transitioning new business opportunities to the Boeing Military Aircraft business unit.
Prior to this position, Dodd was the director, Business Development for Network and Tactical Systems, a division of Network and Space Systems within BDS. Before joining Business Development, Dodd served as program director for Wideband Communications and Radio Frequency Systems. Dodd joined Boeing in 1984.
Mr. Neil Kacena
Vice President Advanced Development Programs Deputy
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
NEIL KACENA was named Vice President Advanced Development Programs Deputy at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics - Palmdale in March 2005. As ADP’s deputy, he is responsible for providing guidance and assistance for all Advanced Development Program activities including assisting in leading 1,500 people in pursuit of advanced concepts, product improvements and derivatives, technology development, mission area architecture and prototyping. He also acts as chairman of the Lockheed Martin corporate-wide low observables technology focus group, working across business areas and company lines to address critical technologies for applications to advanced projects.
Previously, Mr. Kacena was the Director of Advanced Development Program’s Technology Development and Integration organization. Prior to that, he served as the Director of Signature Management Systems and Deputy Advanced Development Programs.
Mr. Fred Downey
Vice President, National Security
Aerospace Industries Association
FRED DOWNEY, Vice President, National Security, is responsible for monitoring and analyzing national security issues that affect the U.S. aerospace industry’s ability to support the Defense Department and to compete and cooperate in the national and global marketplace.
Downey also coordinates the activities of the association’s National Security and Technical Operations Councils and their associated committees and working groups to develop industry consensus and responses to these issues.
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Warren Kozak
Author
WARREN KOZAK, author of LeMay: The Life and Wars of Gen. Curtis LeMay is an award winning author and journalist. Throughout his career Kozak has worked for many major companies including; ABC News, National Public Radio and PBS. Kozak combines his reporting skills with his flair for writing to produce very in depth biographies, including his latest on Gen LeMay.
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Dr. Charles Krauthammer
Pulitzer Prize Winner
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER is winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, writes an internationally syndicated column for The Washington Post Writers Group. Krauthammer, named by the Financial Times as America's most influential commentator, began writing the weekly column for The Washington Post in January 1985. It now appears in more than 180 newspapers.
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Dr. Jeffrey Mankoff
Director of International Studies at Yale University
DR. JEFFREY MANKOFF is a specialist in Eurasian/Russian affairs, and adjunct fellow for Russia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is also associate director of International Security Studies, Yale University. He has written articles and op-eds on a range of topics connected to Russian foreign policy past and present, including continuity and change in the post-Soviet era.
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MISTY Pilot Panel
Moderator: Major General Donald W. Shepperd, USAF Ret.
Former, Director Air National Guard
MAJ. GEN. DONALD W. SHEPPERD was the director, Air National Guard, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C. As director, he was responsible for formulating, developing, and coordinating all programs, policies, and plans affecting the Air Guard members in units throughout the United States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.
He graduated from the fourth class of the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1962. After receiving his wings, he was assigned to duty in West Germany; and South Vietnam. He joined the Arizona Air National Guard in August 1974 where he held positions including squadron commander; group deputy commander for operations and group vice commander. In January 1987, he transferred to the Massachusetts ANG as the air commander of the 102d Fighter Interceptor Wing. In July 1989, he was appointed as deputy director, Air National Guard, National Guard Bureau. He is a command pilot, having flown more than 5,000 hours; and flew 247 fighter combat missions in Southeast Asia.
General Merrill A. McPeak, USAF Ret.
GEN. MERRILL A. MCPEAK was the 14th chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. As chief, he served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipage of a combined active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian force of over 850,000 people serving at approximately 1,300 locations in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he and the other service chiefs function as military advisers to the secretary of defense, National Security Council and the president.
The general entered the Air Force in 1957 as a distinguished graduate of the San Diego State College ROTC program. He has commanded an Air Force wing, a numbered Air Force and, before becoming Air Force chief of staff, commanded the Pacific Air Forces, a major command. He is a command pilot, having flown more than 6,000 hours, principally in fighter aircraft. He flew two years as a solo pilot for the elite aerial demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, and flew as an attack pilot and high-speed forward air controller in Vietnam.
General Ronald D. Fogleman, USAF Ret.
GEN. RONALD R. FOGLEMAN 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 750,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he and the other service chiefs function as military advisers to the secretary of defense, National Security Council and the president.
In early assignments he instructed student pilots, performed combat duty as a fighter pilot and high-speed forward air controller in Vietnam and Thailand, taught history at the Air Force Academy and conducted flight operations in Europe -- including duty as an F-15 aircraft demonstration pilot for international airshows. He commanded an Air Force wing, an air division, a numbered air force, a major command and a unified command.
Colonel George E. “Bud” Day, USAF Ret.
COL. GEORGE E. "BUD" DAY a veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam War has received over 70 decorations with most being in combat is a former prisoner of war and Medal of Honor recipient. On 26 August 1967, Col. Day was forced to eject from his aircraft over North Vietnam when it was hit by ground fire. His right arm was broken in 3 places, and his left knee was badly sprained. He was immediately captured by hostile forces and taken to a prison camp where he was interrogated and severely tortured. After causing the guards to relax their vigilance, Col. Day escaped into the jungle and began the trek toward South Vietnam. He successfully evaded enemy patrols and reached the Ben Hai River, where he encountered U.S. artillery barrages. With the aid of a bamboo log float, Col. Day swam across the river and entered the demilitarized zone. Due to delirium, he lost his sense of direction and wandered aimlessly for several days. After several unsuccessful attempts to signal U.S. aircraft, he was ambushed and recaptured by the Viet Cong, sustaining gunshot wounds to his left hand and thigh. He was returned to the prison from which he had escaped and later was moved to Hanoi after giving his captors false information to questions put before him. Physically, Col. Day was totally debilitated and unable to perform even the simplest task for himself. Despite his many injuries, he continued to offer maximum resistance. His personal bravery in the face of deadly enemy pressure was significant in saving the lives of fellow aviators who were still flying against the enemy.
Paul K. “P.K.” Robinson
"P.K." attended one year of college at the College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio. During this time, he applied for and was accepted as a member of the newly formed United States Air Force Academy. As a cadet, he was named to the Superintendent's, the Dean's and the Commandant's lists. He was active in many sports and served as a member of the Honor Society. As a First Classman, he was a Group Commander.
Following graduation as a Distinguished Graduate in June 1962, "P.K." attended pilot training at Williams AFB, Arizona. He subsequently completed F-100 training at Luke AFB, Arizona as he was selected for future assignments as a fighter pilot. His first operational tour was at RAF Lakenheath. During this tour, he was named as a "Select Crew". He was then assigned to Tuy Hoa AB, RVN, Southeast Asia. During this tour and while assigned as a "Misty FAST-FAG" at Phu Cat AB, he completed over 250 combat missions, including 101 missions over North Vietnam. He participated in many of the key battles of the Vietnam War including the Dak To Offensive, the siege at Khe Sahn and the Tet Offensive.
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Mr. David A. Nichols
Author
DAVID A. NICHOLS, a leading expert on the Eisenhower presidency, holds a Ph.D. in history from William and Mary. A former professor and academic dean at Southwestern College, he is the author of A Matter of Justice: Eisenhower and the Beginning of the Civil Rights Revolution, and Lincoln and the Indians. He lives in Winfield, Kansas.
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Operation Unified Protector
Col. Flavio Danielis
Italian Air Attaché
COLONEL DANIELIS was born in Udine on August 15 1962. He joined the Italian Air Force Academy (Naples) on 1982 and become a second lieutenant in 1986. He earned his pilot wings after completing pilot training program on the Aermacchi MB339, at the 61st Aerial Brigade, Lecce.
As a qualified Fighter pilot, he spent his early operational years flying the F104 Starfighter in the air defense role. On July 19th 2010 he has been appointed as “Air Attaché” of Italian Air Force at Washington DC. Col. Danielis is a Command Pilot and has logged more than 3500 flight hours in various fighter aircraft.
Maj. Gen. Yvan Blondin
Assistant Chief of the Air Staff for the Canadian Air Force
MAJOR-GENERAL YVAN BLONDIN grew up in Aylmer, Quebec and enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1980. An experienced CF18 pilot, Major-General Blondin has served with the two fighter squadrons in Bagotville, 425 and 433, accumulating more than 3,000 flying hours in North America and Europe. He also occupied many staff positions in National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, and the NORAD Headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Major-General Blondin holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He is a graduate of the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College and of the United States Air Force Air War College in Maxwell, Alabama.
Col. Michael Dupont
French Air Attaché
COLONEL DUPONT entered the French Air Force Academy in Salon de Provence in 1990. Upon graduation in 1993, he flew the Mirage 2000N at Nancy AFB in 1995, before undergoing transformation on the Mirage 2000D in 1997. In 1999, he took part in the Kosovo NATO led conflict. Subsequently, he was assigned to the United Kingdom as an exchange officer on Tornado GR4.
In 2004, he was designated to join NATO and ACT in Norfolk, VA, as Military Assistant to the French.
Since August 2011, he has been serving as the Air Attaché to the Embassy of France in Washington DC. Colonel Dupont was the recipient of the prestigious French Legion of Honor in the rank of Knight in 2006. He has three children who currently reside in Norway.
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Planning Iraqi and Enduring Freedom Panel
Major General James O. Poss
Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
MAJ. GEN. JAMES O. POSS is the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He is responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight, and leadership of Air Force ISR capabilities.
General Poss received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Southern Mississippi. He served in Desert Storm with the U.S. VII Corps RC-12 Guardrail Battalion in Saudi Arabia, and was Director of Intelligence for Central Command Air Forces deployed to Southwest Asia at the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom.
General Charles F. Wald (USAF, Ret.)
Former Deputy Commander US European Command
GEN. CHARLES F. WALD(USAF, Ret.) serves as a leader of Deloitte's Department of Defense Practice, Federal Government Services. He is a subject matter specialist in weapons procurement and deployment, counter terrorism, national, energy and international security policy. General Wald retired from the U.S. Air Force as a four star general, after serving over 35 years in the U.S. military as a command pilot with more than 3,600 flying hours, and 430 combat hours. In his last position, he served as deputy commander of U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) from 2002 until his retirement from the U.S. Air Force in July 2006. He is an acknowledged specialist on Energy Security issues, and is highly sought after to deliver speeches at private industry, institutions and universities, in addition to providing dozens of radio and television interviews and numerous war games involving energy strategy and development. General Wald has received major military awards and decorations, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, and several others
General Victor E. Renuart, USAF Ret.
Former Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command
GEN. VICTOR E. RENUART JR. is the Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
The general entered the Air Force in 1971 following graduation from Indiana University. He was commissioned through the Officer Training School in 1972. He has commanded a NATO support group and two fighter wings. He served as Commander of the 76th Fighter Squadron during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and supported Operation Deny Flight as Director of Plans for the NATO Combined Air Operations Center at Headquarters 5th Allied Tactical Air Force. In addition, he commanded Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia and 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Southwest Asia, responsible for control of Operation Southern Watch. The general has served as the U.S. Central Command Director of Operations, wherein he oversaw the planning and execution of all joint and allied combat, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction operations for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He also served as Vice Commander, Pacific Air Forces, where he was responsible for Air Force and Air Component Command activities for the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command. The general has flown combat missions in operations Desert Storm, Deny Flight, Northern Watch and Southern Watch.
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Resource Strained Environment Panel
Dr. Richard P. Hallion
DR. RICHARD P. HALLION has broad experience in science and technology museum development, research and management analysis, and has served as a consultant to various professional organizations. He has flown as a mission observer in a range of military and civilian fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. Dr. Hallion served as Senior Adviser for Air and Space Issues, Directorate for Security, Counterintelligence and Special Programs Oversight, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He was responsible for analysis and insight regarding the conceptualization, evolution and utilization of sensitive national technological programs and related subject areas. Since his retirement from government service he has remained active as a historian with the Smithsonian Institution, and continues to lecture on military aviation topics.
Dr. Mark J. Lewis
DR. MARK J. LEWIS is a professor at the University of Maryland that specializes in hypersonic aerodynamics, advanced propulsion, and engine-airframe interaction. From 2004-2008 Dr. Lewis was Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. from 2004 to 2008 and was the longest-serving Chief Scientist in Air Force history. He served as chief scientific adviser to the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force, and provided assessments on a wide range of scientific and technical issues affecting the Air Force mission. In this role he identified and analyzed technical issues and brought them to attention of Air Force leaders, and interacted with other Air Staff principals, operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and science & technology communities to address cross-organizational technical issues and solutions. His primary areas of focus included energy, sustainment, long-range strike technologies, advanced propulsion systems, and workforce development.
Dr. Werner Dahm
DR. WERNER J.A. DAHM is the Director, Security & Defense Systems Initiative (SDSI) at Arizona State University (ASU). At ASU he leads a unique, transdisciplinary, university-wide institute based on the New American University model to develop technology-enabled solutions for key national and global security challenges, including their legal and policy implications and the root socio-economic causes of security issues. He accepted the position at ASU in November 2010 after serving full-time in the Pentagon as the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. from 2008-2010, where as a member of Headquarters Air Force he was the direct science and technology advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff.
Major General Curtis Bedke USAF Ret.
MAJ. GEN. CURTIS M. BEDKE was the Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He was responsible for managing the Air Force's $2.2 billion science and technology program as well as additional customer funded research and development of $2.2 billion. He was also responsible for a workforce of approximately 10,800 people in the laboratory's component technology directorates, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the 711th Human Performance Wing.
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Mr. M. Scott Reynolds
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Logistics
M. SCOTT REYNOLDS, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Logistics, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for the management policy and oversight of logistics strategic planning for the Air Force, to include maintenance, supply chain and weapon system integrated life cycle management. He provides oversight and influences resource allocation decisions to ensure logistics support is resourced to maintain the desired readiness levels to accomplish the Air Force and supported warfighter missions.
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Mr. David Shepler
DAVID received a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1992, a Master’s in Public Management (MPM) from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1994, and his Master’s in Policy Analysis with a distinction in quantitative methods from the RAND Graduate School in 2004. After ten years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, David joined IBM in 2004 as a consultant in the public sector strategy and change practice, serving state and federal clients seeking to transform their service operations. In June 2009, David became the program manager for IBM’s Jeopardy Challenge, an effort to develop a high-performance computer capable of playing human contestants in the television game show. Providing leadership on the programmatic side of the challenge, David coordinated the many component efforts that comprise the challenge, including conducting extensive game-like testing of the system, representing IBM Research in discussions with Jeopardy producers, scheduling hardware and development plans, and coordinating activities with marketing and communications. David now lives in New Paltz, New York.
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Space Industrial Base Panel
Moderator:
Dr. Michael Griffin
Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama
MICHAEL GRIFFIN is the King-McDonald Eminent Scholar and Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and the Director of the Center for System Studies at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. From 2005-09 he was the Administrator of NASA. Prior to re-joining NASA he was Space Department Head at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He has also held numerous executive positions with industry, including President and Chief Operating Officer of In-Q-Tel, Chief Executive Officer of Magellan Systems, General Manager of Orbital Science Corporation’s Space Systems Group, and Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer at Orbital.
Mr. Gary Payton
Former Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programs
MR. GARY E. PAYTON Mr. Gary E. Payton was the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programs, Washington, D.C. He provided guidance, direction and oversight for the formulation, review and execution of military space programs. This included oversight of all space and space-related acquisition plans, strategies and assessments for research, development, test, evaluation and space-related industrial base issues.
Mr. Jeff Grant
Senior Vice President and General Manager Space Systems Division
Northrop Grumman
JEFFREY D. GRANT is sector vice president and general manager of the Space Systems Division at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. In this role, Grant leads the division which provides space solutions for civil, military and restricted customers.
Prior to this appointment, Grant was vice president of National Systems for the Space Systems Division. His primary responsibilities were the acquisition and execution of all space programs for restricted customers, which includes the design, build, launch and operations of major systems. He also was responsible for new business with these customers as well as the evolution of existing systems, including capabilities enhancements and technology insertion.
Mr. John Elbon
Vice President and Program Manager Commercial Crew Programs, Space Exploration
Boeing
As Vice President and Program Manager, Commercial Crew Programs, JOHN ELBON leads Boeing’s efforts on commercial crew and cargo programs, including our Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) Space Act Agreement. Elbon ensures that innovations and capabilities from across Boeing are used in development of space transportation vehicles to support NASA and commercial customers.
Prior to leading the ISS team, Elbon managed the CAPPS contract at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. responsible for final assembly and testing of the ISS and other space shuttle payloads.
Mr. Mark Valerio
Vice President and General Manager
Surveillance and Navigation Systems
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
MARK VALERIO is Vice President and General Manager of the Surveillance and Navigation Systems Line of Business at Space Systems Company reporting to Joanne Maguire. In this role, Mark has general management responsibility for the Space Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and Space Situational Awareness Programs.
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Mr. Edward T. Timperlake
Editor, Sldforum.com
THE HONORABLE ED TIMPERLAKE graduated from the US Naval Academy and served as a Marine Corps fighter pilot, his graduate study was at Cornell University (MBA). He was the first Assistant Secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs for Public and Congressional Affairs. He was than a professional staff member for the Committee on Rules in the US House of Representatives, focusing on authorization and appropriation legislation for both DOD and DVA . His most recent position with DOD was as Director, Technology Assessment, International Technology Security, (AT&L). He is also a New York Times bestselling author.
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USAF Contingency Operations Panel
Tomodachi & Odyssey Dawn
Gen. Gilmary Hostage III - Moderator
GEN. GILMARY M. HOSTAGE III is Commander, Air Combat Command, with headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Va., and Air Component Commander for U.S. Joint Forces Command. As the commander, 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 operates more than 1,000 aircraft, 22 wings, 13 bases, and more than 300 operating locations worldwide with 79,000 active-duty and civilian personnel. When mobilized, the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve contribute more than 700 aircraft and 49,000 people to ACC. As the Combat Air Forces lead agent, ACC develops strategy, doctrine, concepts, tactics, and procedures for air and space power employment. The command provides conventional and information warfare forces to all unified commands to ensure air, space and information superiority for warfighters and national decision-makers. ACC can also be called upon to assist national agencies with intelligence, surveillance and crisis response capabilities.
Lt. Gen. Burton M. Field
LT. GEN. BURTON M. FIELD is the Commander, U.S. Forces Japan, and Commander, 5th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Yokota Air Base, Japan. He is the senior U.S. military representative in Japan and Commander of U.S. Air Force units in Japan.
General Field was commissioned in 1979 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has commanded the 421st Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah; the USAF Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev.; the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea; and the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley AFB, Va. He has also deployed as Commander, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Balad AB, Iraq. The general served on two major command staffs as well as the Joint Staff. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Senior Military Adviser to the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan/Pakistan, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Maj. Gen. Margaret H. Woodward
MAJ. GEN. MARGARET H. WOODWARD is Commander, 17th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command serves as the Air Component for U.S. Africa Command and has responsibility for all Air Force activities in the Africa theater spanning 53 countries, 11 million square miles and more than 900 million people.
General Woodward entered the Air Force in 1983 as a graduate of Arizona State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering. Her career includes a variety of operational and staff positions, including command at the squadron, group and wing levels. She flew and commanded in operations Just Cause, Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The general served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as the Director of Protocol and military assistant, and she was the Deputy Director for Colonel Matters, Air Force Senior Leader Management Office, Washington, D.C. Prior to her current assignment, General Woodward was Vice Commander, 18th Air Force, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
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Warfighting Integration in the Aerial Layer Panel
Moderator:
Brigadier General John R. “Bob” Ranck Jr.
Director, Warfighter Systems Integration
BRIG. GEN. JOHN R. "BOB" RANCK JR. is the Director, Warfighter Systems Integration, Office of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. This organization is responsible for leading initiatives to provide an integrated, capability-focused enterprise, with the goal of serving the warfighter's needs and eliminating the information seams that divide capabilities.
Daniel E. Bishop
Assistant Director of Operational Capability Requirements
DANIEL E. BISHOP, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Assistant Director of Operational Capability Requirements, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air, Space and Information Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He establishes policy for operational capabilities-based requirements. The directorate supports major commands in developing and evaluating requirements for Air Force-wide modernization programs including fighters, bombers, mobility aircraft, space systems, command and control, munitions and missile defense. He co-chairs the regular session Air Force Requirements Oversight Council and is responsible for shaping and finalizing capabilities-based requirements documents for approval by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council.
Randall G. Walden
Director for Information Dominance Programs
RANDALL G. WALDEN, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director for Information Dominance Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for planning and programming all acquisition and modernization activities for Air Force command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance programs. He guides development of program management directives, acquisition strategies, budget submissions, congressional testimony and international acquisition programs. He advocates acquisition program strategies for reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, command and control and combat support systems, evolving C4ISR infrastructure, net-centric operations and information warfare programs. Mr. Walden also provides Secretary of the Air Force direction and guidance for combat C4ISR systems and architectures to the Air Staff, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff and Congress. He directs activities for five C4ISR divisions.
<Stan C. Newberry
Director, Air Force Command and Control Integration Center
STAN C. NEWBERRY, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Director, Air Force Command and Control Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Hampton, Va. Mr. Newberry's role is to manage, integrate and improve Air Force command and control. His responsibilities include planning, programming, and guiding requirements and architecture development, integration and standardization efforts for Air Force warfighting aerial networks, combat support and C2 systems. He directs lead command activities for defining, advocating and directing sustainment and modernization strategies for the air and space operation center and tactical datalinks. He represents the Air Force on joint and coalition C2 system interoperability activities. Additionally, he is responsible for developing and prioritizing C2 science and technology needs and managing C2 innovation, experimentation and technology transition.
Ronald A. Mason
Program Executive Officer for Cyber and Netcentric Programs
RONALD A. MASON, , a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Program Executive Officer for Cyber and Netcentric Programs, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. He directs a workforce of more than 1,800 personnel responsible for the development, deployment and sustainment of Air Force, joint and coalition cyberspace, communications, cryptologic and space/nuclear network systems enabling decisive combat operations in support of air, space and cyberspace domains.
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Cynthia Watson
Professor at the National War College
DR. CYNTHIA WATSON earned a M.A. in Economic History from the London School of Economics and a PhD in Government & International Studies from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Watson served as Chairwoman of the Department of Security Studies at the National War College between 2007 and 2010, arriving on the faculty in 1992. Her current work focuses on China’s modernizing and how that affects its foreign relations, having worked on China in Latin America for the past 8 years. Dr. Watson is a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. She is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Dr. Watson has been Senior Advisor to the Society for International Business Fellows on their China visits in 2006-2010.
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Francis J. "Bing" West
Author and Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
FRANCIS J. "BING" WEST is an author and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs during the Reagan Administration. West writes about the military, warfighting, and counterinsurgency. For the United States Marine Corps, he wrote the training manual Small Unit Action in Vietnam, describing how to fight in close combat. As an analyst at the RAND Corporation, he wrote a half dozen detailed monographs about fighting against an insurgency. Later, as Assistant Secretary of Defense, he dealt with the insurgencies in El Salvador. From 2003 through 2008, he made 16 extended trips to Iraq, going on patrols and writing three books and numerous articles about the war. Since then, he has made six trips to Afghanistan. His latest book is The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy and the Way Out of Afghanistan.
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Mr. Richard Whittle
Author
RICHARD WHITTLE covered the Pentagon and other beats for The Dallas Morning News for 22 years before writing his book The Dream Machine: The Untold History of the Notorious V-22 Osprey. He’s now a regular contributor to AOL Defense and a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, where he’s been working on a book about the MQ-1 Predator, and where he did some of the research for his recent AFA Mitchell Institute paper “Predator’s Big Safari.” Rick is also a Visiting Scholar at John Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, and a Contributing Editor for Defense Technology International.
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MR. MICHAEL B. DONLEY is the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C. He is the 22nd Secretary and was confirmed Oct. 2, 2008. 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 more than 334,000 men and women on active duty, 176,000 members of the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve, 170,000 civilians, and their families. He also oversees the Air Force's annual budget of more than $110 billion.
GEN. NORTON A. SCHWARTZ 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 equipping of 680,000 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.
GENERAL JOHN P. JUMPER was born in Paris, Texas. He earned his commission as a distinguished graduate of Virginia Military Institute's Air Force 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 becoming Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the general served as Commander of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base. A command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours, principally in fighter aircraft, Jumper served two tours in Southeast Asia, accumulating more than 1,400 combat hours. Jumper retired from the Air Force on November 1, 2005.
AMBASSADOR JOHNNIE CARSON was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, on May 7, 2009. Prior to this he was the National Intelligence Officer for Africa at the NIC, after serving as the Senior Vice President of the National Defense University in Washington D.C. (2003-2006).
MS. ERIN C. CONATON is the Undersecretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C. She was confirmed March 4, 2010. Ms. Conaton is responsible for the affairs of the Department of the Air Force on behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, including the organizing, training, equipping and providing for the welfare of its more than 334,000 men and women on active duty, 176,000 members of the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve, 170,000 civilians, and their families. She also oversees the Air Force's annual budget of more than $119 billion and serves as acting Secretary of the Air Force in the Secretary's absence.
