Mr. Stephen L. Hart is the Deputy Director of Plans, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia. He leads a staff of military and civilians in the annual development of the Air Force’s 30-Year Resource Allocation Plan. Mr. Hart also assists with the development and integration of the Air Force strategy and long range plans to ensure the Air Force builds and employs effective air, space and cyber forces to achieve national defense objectives.
Mr. Hart served on active duty in the Air Force from October 1988 through October 2015. As a navigator flying the KC-135 Stratotanker, and later as a staff officer and unit commander, he held several key operational and staff positions. Specifically, he commanded an Air and Space Operations Center and an Operations Support Squadron. Mr. Hart’s assignments included duty at Joint Special Operations Command, as well as two tours on the Air Staff; one in the Plans and Programs Directorate and the other in the Operations Directorate. Prior to his current assignment Mr. Hart was the Directorate of Plans, associate chief of Force Planning and Integration Division Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia.
EDUCATION
1988 Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, California State University, Fresno
1993 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1996 Master of Management, Webster University, Saint Louis, Mo.
2000 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2001 Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2004 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2009 Master of Science, Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1988-July 1989, Student, Undergraduate Navigator Training, 323rd Flying Training Wing, Mather Air Force Base, Calif.
2. January 1990-October 1993, KC-135A Instructor Navigator, 46th and 307th Air Refueling Squadrons, K.I. Sawyer AFB, Mich.
3. October 1993–April 1997, KC-135R Evaluator Navigator and Deputy Commander, Special Operations Flight, 384th Air Refueling Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
4. April 1997–November 1998, Chief, Special Operations Air Refueling, Air Support Operations Squadron, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.
5. November 1998–May 2001, Chief, Combat Assault Operations, Aviation Tactics and Evaluation Group, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.
6. May 2001–January 2003, Chief, Special Access Programs, Program Integration Division, Directorate of Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
7. January 2003–July 2004, Chief, Program Integration Branch, Program Integration Division, Directorate of Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
8. August 2004–April 2005, Operations Officer, 100th Operations Support Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
9. April 2005–April 2006, Chief of Safety, 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, U.K.
10. April 2006–Jan 2008, Commander, 100th Operations Support Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, U.K.
11. July 2008–June 2009, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
12. June 2009–June 2010, Deputy Director, Directorate of Plans, Programs, and Requirements, 13th Air Force, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
13. June 2010–June 2011, Chief, Air Mobility Division, 613th Air and Space Operations Center, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
14. February 2011–November 2011, Commander, 617th Air and Space Operations Center, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
15. November 2011–June 2012, Director of Staff, Headquarters, U.S. Air Forces Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany
16. July 2012–October 2015, Chief, War Planning & Policy Division, Directorate of Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
17. December 2015–August 2019, Associate Chief, Force Planning and Integration Division, Directorate of Plans, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
18. August 2019–present, Deputy Director of Plans, Deputy Chief of Staff Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
MAJOR AWARDS AND HONORS
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
1996–Air Mobility Command Instructor Navigator of the Year
2003–Directorate of Plans and Programs, Action Officer of the Year
(Current as of October 2019)