MAJOR GENERAL ROBERT L. SMOLEN

Maj. Gen. Robert L. Smolen is Commander, Air Force District of Washington, Bolling Air Force Base, D.C. The Air Force District of Washington provides the single Air Force voice and component to the Joint Forces Headquarters-National Capital Region, as well as organizes, trains and equips combat forces for the aerospace expeditionary forces, homeland operations, civil support, national special security events and ceremonial events. In addition, AFDW serves as Uniform Code of Military Justice authority for more than 40,000 personnel and provides major command-level support for more than 24,000 personnel assigned worldwide.

General Smolen entered the Air Force in 1974 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa. He has operational experience in both ground and airborne nuclear missile command and control. He served on the staff of the Secretary of Defense and was the Director of Manpower and Personnel on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He served twice in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force in the Legislative Liaison, first in the House of Representatives and later as the Chief of the Senate office on Capitol Hill. He was both the Deputy and later the Director of the Air Force Office of Nuclear and Counterproliferation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. Gen Smolen held positions on the staff at Headquarters North American Aerospace Defense Command and Headquarters Air Training Command. 

The general has commanded units at the squadron, group and wing levels at Air Force Space Command, Pacific Air Forces and Air Force Materiel Command. He most recently served as the Director, Strategic Capabilities Policy, Executive Office of the President, where he was responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of national security policies to support the President and the National Security Council. In this capacity he also served as the senior ranking military officer on the White House complex. 

EDUCATION
1974 Bachelor of Arts degree in communications, Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa.
1976 Master's degree in public administration, University of Oklahoma
1985 Master's degree in international relations, Auburn University
1985 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1988 Seminar XXI, Foreign Political and International Relations, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
1992 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2000 National and International Security Program Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2001 National Security Decision-Making Seminar, Johns Hopkins University and Syracuse University

ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1974 - August 1974, student, Operational Readiness Training, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
2. August 1974 - January 1977, Minuteman missile system crew member, instructor and evaluator, 91st Strategic Missile Wing, Minot AFB, N.D.
3. January 1977 - March 1979, airborne missile operations officer, 4th Airborne Command Control Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
4. March 1979 - March 1980, aide to the Commander in Chief of North American Aerospace Defense Command, Colorado Springs, Colo.
5. March 1980 - February 1983, Congressional Liaison Officer, later, Special Assistant to the Director of Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.
6. February 1983 - August 1984, Chief, Inter-agency Operations Plans Branch, Defense Systems Mobilization Planning Activity, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C.
7. August 1984 - June 1985, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. June 1985 - July 1988, international political-military affairs officer, Special Actions Branch, Air Force International Affairs, the Air Staff, Washington, D.C.
9. July 1988 - November 1988, Assistant Chief of Staff, Air Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas
10. November 1988 - October 1989, executive officer to the Commander, Air Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas
11. October 1989 - August 1991, Deputy Commander, 12th Air Base Group, Randolph AFB, Texas
12. August 1991 - June 1992, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
13. July 1992 - May 1993, Commander, 750th Support Squadron, Onizuka AFB, Calif.
14. May 1993 - June 1995, Commander, 51st Support Group, Osan Air Base, South Korea
15. July 1995 - September 1995, Chief, Inquiry Division, Secretary of the Air Force Office of Legislative Liaison, Washington, D.C.
16. September 1995 - July 1996, Chief, Senate Liaison Office, Secretary of the Air Force Office of Legislative Liaison, Washington, D.C.
17. July 1996 - January 1998, Commander, 72nd Air Base Wing, Tinker AFB, Okla.
18. February 1998 - December 1999, Deputy Director of Nuclear and Counterproliferation, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
19. January 2000 - April 2002, Director for Manpower and Personnel, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.
20. May 2002 - July 2004, Director of Nuclear and Counterproliferation, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
21. August 2004 - April 2006, Director, Strategic Policy and Arms Control, National Security Council, Executive Office of the President, the White House, Washington, D.C.
22. April 2006 - present, Commander, Air Force District of Washington, Bolling AFB, D.C.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal with two bronze stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 10, 1974
First Lieutenant June 10, 1976
Captain June 10, 1978
Major Aug. 1, 1984
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 1988
Colonel Jan. 1, 1994
Brigadier General March 1, 2000
Major General Dec. 1, 2003


(Current as of May 2006)