Major General SANDRA E. FINAN

Maj. Gen. Sandra E. Finan Major General Sandra E. Finan is the Deputy Chief Information Officer for Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and Information Infrastructure Capabilities, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington D.C.  In this capacity, she provides expertise and broad guidance on policy, programmatic, and technical issues relating to C4&IIC in order to achieve and maintain information dominance for the Department.  She also manages efforts defining DoD policies and strategies for design, architecture, interoperability standards, capability development, and sustainment of critical C2 and communications for nuclear and non-nuclear strategic strike, and Defense and National Leadership Command Capabilities.

General Finan entered the Air National Guard in 1982 as an enlisted cryptographic equipment repairperson. She received her Air Force commission in 1985 as a distinguished graduate of Officer Training School. She has served in a variety of space and nuclear assignments in missile crew operations; training and evaluations; satellite command and control; and satellite operations. The general has held senior staff assignments as the Air Force Global Strike Command Inspector General and the Air Force Space Command Director of Nuclear Operations. 

Her commands include a space operations squadron, a missile wing and a center. General Finan has deployed to the Combined Air Operations Center in Southwest Asia as the Director of Space Forces in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Previously, she was the Commander of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center.

EDUCATION
1978 Bachelor of Arts in music education, California State University, San Bernardino
1989 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1989 Master of Science,  Systems Management, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
1997 Master of Arts,  National Defense and Strategic Studies, Naval Command and Staff College, Newport, R.I.
1997 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2004 Master of Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 National Security Fellow, Syracuse University, N.Y.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 1982 - January 1985, Air National Guard cryptographic technician, Lackland AFB, Texas 
2. April 1985 - May 1987, protocol officer and executive officer, 2nd Bombardment Wing, Barksdale AFB, La.
3. June 1987 - August 1987, student, undergraduate missile training, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
4. September 1987 - August 1991, senior evaluator commander and missile combat crew member, 341st Missile Wing, Malmstrom AFB, Mont.
5. September 1991 - September 1993, command operations evaluator, 3901st Missile Evaluation Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
6. October 1993 - June 1996, program manager; Chief, Standardization/Evaluation and Training Programs, 20th Air Force, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
7. July 1996 - June 1997, student, Naval Command and Staff College, Newport, R.I.
8. July 1997 - September 1997, student, Joint Professional Military Education Phase II, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
9. October 1997 - August 1999, special assistant to the Commander; executive assistant to the deputy commander; and National Military Command System command and control officer, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
10. September 1999 - August 2000, executive assistant to the Director of Security and Emergency Operations, Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.
11. September 2000 - June 2001, operations officer, 21st Space Operation Squadron, Onizuka Air Force Station, Calif.
12. July 2001 - June 2003, Commander, 21st Space Operations Squadron, Onizuka AFS, Calif.
13. July 2003 - May 2004, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
14. June 2004 - July 2006, Vice Commander, 91st Missile Wing, Minot AFB, N.D.
15. July 2006 - May 2008, Commander, 341st Missile Wing, Malmstrom AFB, Mont.
16. June 2008 - August 2009, Director, Nuclear Operations, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
17. September 2009 - December 2010, Inspector General, Headquarters Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale AFB, La.
18. January 2011 - January 2013, Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application, Office of Defense Programs, and Acting Chief of Nuclear Security, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 
19. February 2013 - October 2015, Commander, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
20. October 2015 - present, Deputy Chief Information Officer for Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and Information Infrastructure Capabilities, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington D.C.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1997 - August 1999, special assistant to the Commander; executive assistant to the Deputy Commander; and National Military Command System command and control officer, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb., as a major and lieutenant colonel
2. September 1999 - August 2000, executive assistant to the Director of Security and Emergency Operations, Department of Energy, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
3. January 2011 - January 2013, Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application, Office of Defense Programs, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy, Washington, D.C., as a brigadier general 
4. October 2015 – present, Deputy Chief Information Officer for Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and Information Infrastructure Capabilities, Office of the Secretary of Defense,  the Pentagon, Washington D.C., as a major general

BADGES
Command Missile Badge with Operations Designator 
Command Space Badge

WEAPONS SYSTEMS
Minuteman II ICBM Improved Launch Control System
Minuteman III Rapid Execution and Combat Target System
Inertial Upper Stage Booster
Air Force Satellite Control Network

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 two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with “N” Device

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant April 5, 1985
First Lieutenant April 5, 1987
Captain April 5, 1989
Major Aug. 1, 1996
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 1999
Colonel Aug. 1, 2003
Brigadier General May 7, 2010
Major General Aug. 2, 2013

(Current as of December 2016)