Lt. Gen. John N.T. “Jack” Shanahan is the inaugural Director, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, Office of the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. Lt. Gen. Shanahan is responsible for accelerating the delivery of AI-enabled capabilities, scaling the department-wide impact of AI, and synchronizing AI activities to expand joint force advantages.
Lt. Gen. Shanahan received his commission in 1984 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the University of Michigan. He has served in a variety of flying, staff and command assignments, most recently as the Director for Defense Intelligence (Warfighter Support), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He was also the Director of the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team (Project Maven), where he established and led the department’s AI pathfinder fielding program charged with accelerating, augmenting, and automating intelligence collection and analysis.
EDUCATION
1984 Bachelor of Science (With Distinction), Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
1990 Squadron Officer School, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1996 Master of Arts, National Security and Strategic Studies, Distinguished Graduate, College of Naval Command and Staff, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2001 Master of Science, National Security Strategy, Distinguished Graduate, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2006 Program for Senior Executive Fellows, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2007 Air Force Senior Leadership Course, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2008 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2010 Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2011 Senior Joint Information Operations Applications Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2013 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 1984 - June 1985, Student, Undergraduate Navigator Training, 451st Flying Training Squadron, Mather Air Force Base, Calif.
2. June 1985 - June 1986, Student, F-4 Operational Training Course, 308th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Homestead AFB, Fla.
3. June 1986 - June 1989, F-4E/G Instructor Weapons System Officer, 90th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Clark Air Base, Philippines
4. June 1989 - February 1991, F-4E Instructor Weapons System Officer and Standardization and Evaluation Flight Examiner, 334th TFS, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
5. February 1991 - June 1991, Student, F-15E Transition Course, 550th TFTS, Luke AFB, Ariz.
6. July 1991 - July 1993, F-15E Instructor Weapons System Officer and Standardization and Evaluation Flight Examiner, 334th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
7. July 1993 - December 1993, Student, F-15E U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. December 1993 - July 1995, F-15E Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 334th FS, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
9. July 1995 - June 1996, Student, College of Naval Command and Staff, Newport, R.I.
10. September 1996 - September 1997, Theater Battle Management Flight Commander, 607th Combat Operations Squadron, Osan Air Base, South Korea
11. September 1997 - October 1998, Operations Officer, F-15E Division, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
12. October 1998 - July 2000, Commander, U.S. Air Force Weapons School Support Division, Nellis AFB, Nev.
13. August 2000 - June 2001, Student, National War College, Washington, D.C.
14. June 2001 - August 2003, Chief, Regional Exercise Branch, Operations Directorate (J3), Headquarters U.S. Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii
15. December 2003 - May 2005, Commander, 480th Intelligence Group, Langley AFB, Va.
16. May 2005 - August 2007, Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. August 2007 - April 2009, Commander, 505th Command and Control Wing, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
18. April 2009 - March 2011, Commander, 55th Wing, Offutt AFB, Neb.
19. March 2011 - April 2013, Deputy Director for Global Operations (J39), Operations Directorate, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
20. April 2013 - June 2013, Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
21. June 2013 - September 2014, Commander, Air Force ISR Agency, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland AFB Texas
22. September 2014 - August 2015, Commander, Twenty-Fifth Air Force, JB San Antonio-Lackland Texas
23. August 2015 - April 2017, Director for Defense Intelligence (Warfighter Support), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
24. April 2017-December 2018, Director for Defense Intelligence (Warfighter Support) and Director, Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team (Project Maven), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
25. December 2018 - present, Director, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, Office of the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2001 - August 2003, Chief, Regional Exercise Branch, Operations Directorate (J3), Headquarters
2. U.S. Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii, as a lieutenant colonel and colonel
3. May 2005 - August 2007, Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
4. March 2011 - April 2013, Deputy Director for Global Operations (J39), Operations Directorate, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a brigadier general and a major general
5. August 2015 – December 2018, Director for Defense Intelligence (Warfighter Support), the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant general
6. December 2018 – present, Director, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, Office of the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant general
BADGES
Master Intelligence Occupational Badge
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: master navigator Flight hours: more than 2,800
Aircraft flown: F-4D/E/G, F-15E and RC-135
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal with four bronze stars
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (government of Kuwait)
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1985 Distinguished Graduate, Undergraduate Navigator Training
1993 Top academic Graduate and outstanding Graduate, F-15E Course, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
1994 Warrior of the Year, 4th Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. 1996 Co-winner, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff essay contest
1999 Outstanding Instructor Weapons System Officer, F-15E Div., U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2000 Outstanding Academic Instructor, F-15E Division, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev. 2001 Commandant's Award for Excellence in Writing, National War College
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Sept. 2, 1984
First Lieutenant Sept. 2, 1986
Captain Sept. 2, 1988
Major Dec. 1, 1995
Lieutenant Colonel Sept. 1, 1998
Colonel July 1, 2003
Brigadier General June 26, 2009
Major General Sept. 14, 2012
Lieutenant General Aug. 11, 2015
(Current as of June 2020)