Lt. Gen. Scott Kindsvater is the 22nd Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. He assists the Chairman's role as principal adviser to the NATO Secretary General and senior military spokesman of the 30-nation alliance. He also advises the Deputy Secretary General, leads coordination of nuclear, biological and chemical matters and, in the Chairman's absence, directs daily operations and the business of the Military Committee, NATO's highest military authority.
Lt. Gen. Kindsvater was commissioned in 1989 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is an F-15E weapons school graduate and instructor. Lt. Gen. Kindsvater is a command pilot with more than 3,600 hours of flight time, to include more than 600 combat hours over Iraq and Afghanistan. He has held various staff assignments to include Ninth Air Force, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Office of the Defense Representative-Pakistan, the Joint Staff and Military Fellow to U.S. Senator Pat Roberts. He commanded the 336th Fighter Squadron, the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron three times, was commandant of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, commanded the 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing, the 82nd Training Wing and an Expeditionary Task Force.
Prior to his current assignment, he was the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Intelligence, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Casteau, Belgium.
EDUCATION
1989 Bachelor’s degree, General Studies, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1995 U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
1996 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2000 National Defense Fellow, Certificate of Legislative Studies, Government Affairs Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
2001 Master’s degree, Military Art and Sciences, Touro University International, Los Alamitos, Calif.
2007 Master’s degree, Strategic Studies, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
2009 National Security Studies Course, Maxwell School, Syracuse University, N.Y.
2010 Senior Manager Course in National Security, Elliott School, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
2012 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
2014 Capstone Flag Officer Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2015 Senior Joint Information Operations Application Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2017 NATO General Officer Course, NATO Defense College, Rome, Italy
2019 Senior International Defense Management Course, Defense Resources Management Institute, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1989–August 1990, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Williams Air Force Base, Ariz.
2. August 1990–May 1991, F-15E Student, RTU, 461st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
3. May 1991–March 1996, Instructor Pilot, Flight Lead and Mission Commander, 335th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
4. March 1996–October 1999, Flight Commander and Instructor Pilot, F-15E Division, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
5. October 1999–November 2000, National Defense Fellow to U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.
6. November 2000–November 2001, Chief of Congressional Engagement, Congressional Action Division, Office of Legislative Liaison Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.
7. November 2001–June 2003, Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, Ninth Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central, Shaw AFB, S.C.
8. June 2003–May 2006, Assistant Director of Operations, 335th Fighter Squadron; then Commander, 336th Fighter Squadron and 336th Expeditionary FS, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
9. July 2006–June 2007, Student, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
10. June 2007–August 2009, Commandant, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
11. August 2009–June 2011, Chief, Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction Division, Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy, J-5; then Joint Staff Representative to the Joint Chiefs of Staff Working Group; then Executive Assistant to the Director of the Joint Staff, the Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. July 2011–July 2012, Commander, 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing, Moody AFB, Ga.
13. August 2012–August 2013, Deputy for Security Cooperation, Office of Defense Representative, U.S. Embassy Islamabad, Pakistan
14. September 2013–June 2015, Commander, 82nd Training Wing, Sheppard AFB, Texas
15. June 2015–May 2016, Assistant Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, and Assistant Vice Commander, 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force, Shaw AFB, S.C.
16. May 2016–May 2017, Deputy Commander–Operations and Intelligence, Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve, U.S. Central Command; Director, Joint Air Component Element and Commander 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force–Levant, Southwest Asia
17. July 2017–July 2019, Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Intelligence, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Casteau, Belgium
18. September 2019-present, Deputy Chairman, NATO Military Committee, Brussels, Belgium
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2009–June 2011, Chief, Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction Division, Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy, J-5; then Joint Staff Representative to the Joint Chiefs of Staff Working Group; then Executive Assistant to the Director of the Joint Staff, the Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
2. August 2012–August 2013, Deputy for Security Cooperation, Office of Defense Representative, U.S. Embassy Islamabad, Pakistan, as a brigadier general
3. May 2016–May 2017, Deputy Commander–Operations and Intelligence, Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve, U.S. Central Command; Director, Joint Air Component Element; and Commander 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force–Levant, Southwest Asia, as a major general
4. July 2017–July 2019, Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Intelligence, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Casteau, Belgium, as a major general
5. September 2019–present, Deputy Chairman, NATO Military Committee, Brussels, Belgium as a lieutenant general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 3,600 (600+ combat)
Aircraft flown: F-15E
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal with combat device
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Combat Action Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONS
Second Lieutenant May 31, 1989
First Lieutenant June 31, 1991
Captain May 31, 1993
Major July 1, 1999
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2003
Colonel Jan. 1, 2007
Brigadier General Nov. 9, 2012
Major General Aug. 12, 2016
Lieutenant General Sept. 27, 2019
(Current as of March 2021)