MAJOR GENERAL SUSAN Y. DESJARDINS Maj. Gen. Susan Y. Desjardins is Director of Plans and Policy, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. She is directly responsible to the USSTRATCOM Commander for the development and implementation of national security policy and guidance; military strategy and guidance; space and weapons employment concepts and policy; and joint doctrine as they apply to the command and the execution of its missions. She is also responsible for the development of the nation's strategic war plan, strategic support plans for theater combatant commanders and contingency planning for the global strike mission. General Desjardins received her commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in May 1980. She has held a variety of staff positions at the major command, Joint Staff and Headquarters U.S. Air Force levels, including deputy military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force. Her commands include an air refueling squadron, an operations group and airlift wing. She has served as Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy and Director of Strategic Plans, Requirements and Programs, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. The general is a command pilot with more than 3,800 flying hours in the KC-10, C-17, C-5, KC-135R, KC-135A and T-37. EDUCATION 1980 Bachelor of Science degree in international affairs/political science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 1983 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence 1991 Master of Arts degree in industrial psychology and human relations, Louisiana Tech University 1993 Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies, Naval Command and Staff College, Naval War College, Newport, R.I. 1997 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2004 General Manager Program, Harvard Business School, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 2009 National Security Studies Program, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 2009 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ASSIGNMENTS 1. July 1980 - August 1981, student, undergraduate pilot training, Laughlin AFB, Texas 2. August 1981 - December 1981, KC-135A pilot training, Castle AFB, Calif. 3. December 1981 - October 1985, KC-135A copilot, standardization and evaluation copilot, and aircraft commander, 911th Air Refueling Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. 4. October 1985 - September 1988, KC-10 copilot and aircraft commander, 344th Air Refueling Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. 5. September 1988 - July 1991, KC-10 instructor and evaluator pilot, 2nd Air Refueling Squadron; later, executive officer, 2nd Bombardment Wing, Barksdale AFB, La. 6. July 1991 - August 1992, KC-10 program element monitor, Directorate for Requirements and Test, Headquarters Strategic Air Command, Offutt AFB, Neb. 7. August 1992 - July 1993, student, Naval Command and Staff College, Newport R.I. 8. July 1993 - March 1994, tanker requirements staff officer, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 9. March 1994 - March 1995, member, Air Force Issues Team, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 10. March 1995 - July 1996, deputy military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 11. July 1996 - July 1997, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 12. July 1997 - August 1999, Commander, 912th Air Refueling Squadron, Grand Forks AFB, N.D. 13. August 1999 - March 2002, strategic planner, later, Chief, Nuclear Treaties Branch, Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 14. March 2002 - August 2003, Commander, 60th Operations Group, Travis AFB, Calif. 15. August 2003 - October 2004, executive officer to the Commander, U.S. Transportation Command, and the Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 16. October 2004 - November 2005, Commander, 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston AFB, S.C. 17. December 2005 - October 2008, Commandant of Cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 18. October 2008 - January 2011, Deputy Director then Director of Strategic Plans, Requirements and Programs, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 19. January 2011 - present, Director of Plans and Policy (J5), U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb. SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS 1. August 1999 - March 2002, strategic planner, later, Chief, Nuclear Treaties Branch, Directorate of Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel and colonel 2. August 2003 - October 2004, executive officer to the Commander, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill., as a colonel 3. January 2011 - present, Director of Plans and Policy (J5), U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb., as a major general FLIGHT INFORMATION Rating: Command pilot Flight hours: More than 3,800 Aircraft flown: KC-10, C-17, C-5, KC-135R, KC-135A and T-37 MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters Aerial Achievement Medal Joint Service Commendation Medal Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster Air Force Achievement Medal Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant May 28, 1980 First Lieutenant May 28, 1982 Captain May 28, 1984 Major June 1, 1992 Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 1996 Colonel April 1, 2000 Brigadier General Sept. 2, 2006 Major General Sept. 10, 2009 (Current as of July 2012)