MAJOR GENERAL IRVING L. HALTER JR. Maj. Gen. Irving L. Halter Jr. is Vice Director, Operations, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He supports the Director of Operations in assisting the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, in his duties as principal adviser to the President and Secretary of Defense. He assists in developing and providing guidance to the combatant commands, and in relaying communications between the President, Secretary of Defense and combatant commands regarding all current operations and plans. General Halter is a native of southern New Jersey, graduating from Woodstown High School in 1973. He was commissioned upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1977. General Halter has served in eight fighter units, including tours in the Pacific, Europe and the United States. He has commanded an operational fighter squadron, an operations group, a fighter wing, a composite wing and a numbered air force. The general also served as the deputy US VII Corps air liaison officer in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm; F-15C Detachment Commander, Operation Provide Comfort, flying combat missions over Northern Iraq; and Director, Air Component Coordination Element, Combined Joint Task Force 180, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom. General Halter's senior staff assignments include Chief, Combat Forces Division, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force; Deputy Director for Military Support, National Reconnaissance Office; and Vice Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy. Prior to this assignment, as Commander of the 19th Air Force, he was responsible for the Air Force's entry-level undergraduate flying training through advanced combat crew training, commanding more than 38,000 total force personnel and 1,720 aircraft. General Halter is a command pilot with more than 3,200 flying hours, including more than 2,200 in the F-15. EDUCATION 1977 Bachelor of Science degree in history, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 1984 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence 1990 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 1990 Master of Science degree in international relations, Troy State University 1996 National Defense Fellow, Secretary of Defense Strategic Studies Group, Washington, D.C. 2003 Combined Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2003 National Security Leadership Course, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, N.Y. 2004 Joint Force Land Component Commander Course, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa. 2007 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala ASSIGNMENTS 1. June 1977 - October 1977, action officer, Admissions Liaison Office, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 2. November 1977 - October 1978, student, undergraduate pilot training, Vance AFB, Okla. 3. November 1978 - April 1979, student, RF-4C Replacement Training Unit, Shaw AFB, S.C. 4. May 1979 - May 1982, RF-4C instructor pilot and flight examiner, 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan 5. June 1982 - May 1984, F-15C instructor pilot, 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan 6. June 1984 - June 1987, F-15A flight commander, instructor pilot, flight examiner, 1st Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla. 7. July 1987 - July 1989, executive officer to the Vice Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein AB, West Germany 8. August 1989 - June 1990, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 9. July 1990 - December 1991, Director of Operations, 8th Air Support Operations Group, and Fighter Liaison Officer, Headquarters VII Corps, Kelly Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany, and VII Corps Forward, Saudi Arabia 10. January 1992 - December 1993, assistant operations officer, later, operations officer, 22nd Fighter Squadron, Bitburg AB, Germany 11. January 1994 - June 1995, Commander, 493rd Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, England 12. July 1995 - June 1996, National Defense Fellow, Secretary of Defense Strategic Studies Group, Washington, D.C. 13. June 1996 - June 1998, Commander, 1st Operations Group, Langley AFB, Va. 14. July 1998 - August 1999, Chief, Air Superiority Division and Combat Forces Division, Directorate of Programs, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 15. August 1999 - March 2001, Commander, 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, England 16. March 2001 - January 2003, Commander, 366th Wing, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho 17. January 2003 - June 2005, Deputy Director for National Systems Operations, J3, the Joint Staff, and Deputy Director for Military Support, National Reconnaissance Office, Washington, D.C. 18. June 2005 - September 2006, Vice Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 19. October 2006 - July 2008, Commander, 19th Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas 20. August 2008 - present, Vice Director, Operations (J3), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. FLIGHT INFORMATION Rating: Command pilot Flight hours: More than 3,200, including 180 combat hours Aircraft flown: F-15A/B/C/D/E, RF-4C, KC-135 and T-38C MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters Air Medal with oak leaf cluster Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters Air Force Achievement Medal OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS National Intelligence Medal of Achievement National Reconnaissance Office Medal of Distinguished Performance (Gold Medal) National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Medallion for Excellence 2000 Nominee, General and Mrs. Jerome O'Malley Award, USAFE EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant June 1, 1977 First Lieutenant June 1, 1979 Captain June 1, 1981 Major June 1, 1988 Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 1992 Colonel Oct. 1, 1996 Brigadier General Nov. 1, 2002 Major General Feb. 16, 2006 (Current as of August 2009)