Gen. John E. Hyten serves as the 11th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he is the nation's second highest-ranking military officer and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Gen. Hyten attended Harvard University on an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship, graduated in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and applied sciences, and was commissioned a second lieutenant. The general’s career began in engineering and acquisition before transitioning to space operations.
He has commanded at the squadron, group, wing and major command levels. In 2006, he deployed to Southwest Asia as Director of Space Forces for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He commanded Air Force Space Command, and prior to his current assignment, was the Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, one of 11 Combatant Commands under the Department of Defense.
EDUCATION
1981 Bachelor of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
1985 Master of Business Administration, Auburn University, Montgomery, Ala.
1985 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1994 Distinguished Graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1999 National Defense Fellow, University of Illinois, Champaign
2011 Senior Managers in Government Course, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 1981‒December 1985, Configuration Management Officer and Chief, Configuration Management Division, Automated Systems Program Office, Gunter Air Force Base, Ala.
2. December 1985‒July 1989, Chief, Software Development Branch; and Chief, Engineering and Acquisition Division, Space Defense Programs Office, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
3. August 1989‒July 1990, Special Adviser to the U.S. Army, Kinetic Energy Anti-Satellite Program Office, U.S. Army Strategic Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala.
4. July 1990‒August 1991, Deputy for Engineering, Strategic Defense Initiatives Program Office, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
5. August 1991‒May 1992, Executive Speechwriter and Systems Analyst, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
6. May 1992‒July 1993, Program Element Monitor, Advanced Technology Programs, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
7. July 1993‒June 1994, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. July 1994‒June 1996, Mission Director, Space Operations Officer, and Chief, Command Center Training, U.S. Space Command, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Colo.
9. August 1996‒August 1998, Commander, 6th Space Operations Squadron, Offutt AFB, Neb.
10. August 1998‒June 1999, National Defense Fellow, University of Illinois, Champaign
11. June 1999‒June 2001, Operations Officer, and Chief, Space Branch, Defense and Space Operations Division, Deputy Director for Operations (Current Readiness and Capabilities), J3, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. June 2001‒June 2003, Chief, Space Control Division, Directorate for Space Operations and Integration, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. June 2003‒July 2004, Director, Commander’s Action Group, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
14. July 2004‒April 2005, Commander, 595th Space Group, Schriever AFB, Colo.
15. April 2005‒May 2007, Commander, 50th Space Wing, Schriever AFB, Colo. (May 2006‒October 2006, Director of Space Forces, U.S. Central Command Air Forces, Southwest Asia)
16. May 2007‒September 2009, Director of Requirements, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
17. September 2009‒February 2010, Director, Cyber and Space Operations, Directorate of Operations. Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. February 2010‒August 2010, Director, Space Acquisition, Office of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
19. September 2010‒May 2012, Director, Space Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Arlington, Va.
20. May 2012‒August 2014, Vice Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
21. August 2014‒October 2016, Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
22. November 2016‒November 2019, Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
23. November 2019‒present, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1994‒June 1996, Mission Director, Space Operations Officer, and Chief, Command Center Training, U.S. Space Command, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Colo., as a major
2. June 1999‒June 2001, Operations Officer, and Chief, Space Branch, Defense and Space Operations Division, Deputy Director for Operations (Current Readiness and Capabilities), J3, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel
3. November 2016‒November 2019, Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., as a general
4. November 2019‒present, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a general
BADGES
Master Space Operations Badge
Master Cyberspace Operator Badge
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1991 Recipient of the William Jump Award for Excellence within the Federal Government
1998 Recipient of a Laurels Award, Aviation Week and Space Technology Magazine
2009 General Jerome F. O’Malley Distinguished Space Leadership Award
2014 Dr. Wernher Von Braun Space Flight Trophy
2014 General Thomas D. White Space Award
2018 Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy
PUBLICATIONS
2000, “A Sea of Peace or a Theater of War: Dealing with the Inevitable Conflict in Space,” The Program in Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security Occasional Paper, University of Illinois
2002, “A Sea of Peace or a Theater of War,” Air and Space Power Journal, Air University Press
2004, “Moral and Ethical Decisions Regarding Space Warfare,” with Dr. Robert Uy, Air and Space Power Journal, Air University Press
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Aug. 23, 1981
First Lieutenant Aug. 23, 1983
Captain Aug. 23, 1985
Major May 1, 1993
Lieutenant Colonel Jan. 1, 1997
Colonel June 1, 2002
Brigadier General Oct. 1, 2007
Major General Nov. 10, 2010
Lieutenant General May 18, 2012
General Aug. 15, 2014
(Current as of April 2021)