MAJOR GENERAL ERWIN F. "ERV" LESSEL III

Maj. Gen. Erwin F. "Erv" Lessel III is the Director of Plans, Programs, Requirements and Assessments, and Director of the San Antonio Joint Program Office, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. He is responsible for command supervision of planning, programming, mission and system requirements, studies and analyses, and management improvement actions affecting almost 100,000 military and civilian personnel located at 13 bases. Additional responsibilities include development and implementation of future learning concepts and the integration of Balanced Score Card, Air Force Smart Operations 21, and Program Objective Memorandum initiatives and actions. As the SAJPO Director, he is responsible for oversight and implementation of Base Realignment and Closure decisions in San Antonio. These actions, requiring more than $2 billion of construction, collocate Department of Defense medical training, consolidate trauma care research, realign military health care in San Antonio, and establish the largest joint base in DOD, supporting 90,000 people at Fort Sam Houston, Lackland AFB and Randolph AFB.

General Lessel graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1979. He has commanded an operations support squadron, operations group, air refueling wing and an airlift wing. He served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Communications and military spokesperson for Multi-National Forces - Iraq. A graduate of the National War College, General Lessel has held positions on the staffs of Air Force Materiel Command, Air Mobility Command, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, the Air Staff and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Prior to his current assignment, General Lessel served as the Director of Communication, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington D.C.

General Lessel is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours in airlift, air refueling and training aircraft.

EDUCATION
1979 Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1983 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1984 Marine Corps Command and Staff College, by correspondence
1985 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
1988 Master's degree in administration, Central Michigan University
1990 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
1993 Air War College, by correspondence
1996 Master's degree in national security strategy, National War College, Washington, D.C.
2004 Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2005 National Security Leadership Course, Syracuse University, N.Y.
2007 Senior Joint Information Operations Applications Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 Systems Acquisition Management for General/Flag Officers Course, Fort Belvoir, Va.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1979 - August 1980, student, undergraduate pilot training, Reese AFB, Texas
2. August 1980 - December 1982, T-37 instructor pilot, 35th Flying Training Squadron, Reese AFB, Texas
3. December 1982 - September 1984, T-37 flight examiner and assistant wing executive officer, 64th Flying Training Wing, Reese AFB, Texas
4. September 1984 - September 1985, Air Staff Training Program officer, Research Development and Acquisition Directorate, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
5. October 1985 - July 1989, C-141 flight examiner and executive officer, 20th Military Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
6. July 1989 - June 1990, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
7. July 1990 - July 1992, Chief of Air Operations and C-12 operations officer, Joint U.S. Military Mission Aid to Turkey, Ankara, Turkey
8. August 1992 - August 1993, Assistant Chief, Strategic Employment Branch, Office of the Inspector General, Headquarters AMC, Scott AFB, Ill.
9. August 1993 - March 1994, Chief of Wing Safety and C-5 pilot, 436th Airlift Wing, Dover AFB, Del.
10. April 1994 - July 1995, Commander, 436th Operations Support Squadron, Dover AFB, Del.
11. July 1995 - June 1996, student, National War College, Washington, D.C.
12. June 1996 - July 1998, joint strategic planner, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.
13. July 1998 - January 2000, Commander, 436th Operations Group, Dover AFB, Del.
14. February 2000 - October 2001, Commander, 92nd Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
15. November 2001 - May 2002, Assistant Director for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters USAFE, Ramstein AB, Germany
16. May 2002 - January 2004, Commander, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein AB, and Commander, Kaiserslautern Military Community, Germany
17. February 2004 - June 2004, Deputy Director, Plans and Programs, Headquarters AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
18. July 2004 - February 2005, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Communications and military spokesperson, Multi-National Forces - Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq
19. March 2005 - June 2005, Deputy Director, Plans and Programs, Headquarters AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
20. July 2005 - November 2005, Director, Plans and Programs, Headquarters AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
21. November 2005 - March 2007, Director of Communication, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.
22. April 2007 - December 2007, Director of Plans, Requirements and Programs, Headquarters AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas
23. January 2008 - present, Director of Plans, Programs, Requirements and Assessments, and Director, San Antonio Joint Program Office, Headquarters AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,000
Aircraft flown: T-37B, C-141B, C-12C, C-5A/B, KC-135R/T and C-130E

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Humanitarian Service Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 30, 1979
First Lieutenant May 30, 1981
Captain May 30, 1983
Major Dec. 1, 1988
Lieutenant Colonel June 1, 1993
Colonel Aug. 1, 1998
Brigadier General Jan. 1, 2004
Major General June 1, 2007

(Current as of May 2010)