Lt. Gen. Leah G. Lauderback is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber Effects Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. She is responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight and leadership of the Air Force’s ISR operations, cyber effects and warfighter communications operations, and electromagnetic spectrum superiority operations. As the Air Force's Senior Intelligence Officer, she is directly responsible to the Director of National Intelligence and the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security. She leads seven directorates and supports a 73,000-person enterprise with a portfolio valued at $72 billion across the Air Force.
Lt. Gen. Lauderback received her commission in 1993 from Clemson University. Her career as an intelligence officer spans the strategic, tactical, and operational levels of war throughout the Pacific, Central, and European theaters of operation. She commanded at the wing, group, and squadron levels, served as the Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, and led as the Director of Intelligence for the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, Southwest Asia. Her operational tours include the Implementation Force-Bosnia Herzegovina, operations Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Odyssey Dawn, and Inherent Resolve.
Prior to this assignment, Lt. Gen. Lauderback took a lead role in standing up the U.S. Space Command as well as the U.S. Space Force. In both organizations, she was privileged to serve as the first Senior Intelligence Officer.
EDUCATION
1993 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Clemson University, S.C.
1997 Squadron Officer School, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2004 Master of Science, Administration, Central Michigan University
2006 Master of Science, Strategic Intelligence, Joint Military Intelligence College, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.
2007 Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk, Va.
2012 Master of Arts, National Security and Strategic Studies, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 1993–July 1994, Student, Intelligence Technical Training, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
2. July 1994–July 1995, Intelligence Operations, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea
3. August 1995–June 1997, Targeting Officer, 32nd Air Intelligence Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
4. June 1997–June 2000, Intelligence Operations, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
5. July 2000–July 2003, Instructor, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
6. July 2003–August 2005, Staff Officer, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
7. August 2005–August 2006, Student, Joint Military Intelligence College, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.
8. August 2006–January 2007, Director of Operations, 324th Intelligence Squadron, Kunia, Hawaii
9. January 2007–June 2009, U.S. Pacific Command Chief of Targets, USPACOM Headquarters, Camp Smith, Hawaii
10. June 2009–June 2011, Commander, 450th Intelligence Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
11. July 2011–June 2012, Student, Naval War College, Newport Naval Station, R.I.
12. June 2012–May 2014, Commander, 67th Cyberspace Operations Group, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
13. May 2014–May 2016, Commander, National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
14. June 2016–June 2017, Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. June 2017–June 2018, Director of Intelligence for the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait
16. June 2018–July 2019, Director, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber Effects Operations, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. July 2019–July 2020, Director of Intelligence, U.S. Space Command, Schriever AFB, Colo.
18. August 2020–July 2022, Director of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, U.S. Space Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
19. August 2022–present, Deputy Chief of Staff, ISR and Cyber Effects Operations, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2007–September 2007, Chief, Capability Integration Branch, U.S. Pacific Command Headquarters, Camp Smith, Hawaii, as a lieutenant colonel
2. October 2007–June 2009, Chief, USPACOM Targets, USPACOM Headquarters, Camp Smith, Hawaii, as a lieutenant colonel
3. June 2016–June 2017, Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
4. June 2017–June 2018, Director of Intelligence for the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, as a brigadier general
5. July 2019–July 2020, Director of Intelligence, U.S. Space Command, Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., as a brigadier general
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korean Defense Service Medal
NATO Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Aug. 6, 1993
First Lieutenant Aug. 6, 1995
Captain Aug. 6, 1997
Major Jan. 1, 2004
Lieutenant Colonel Sept. 1, 2007
Colonel July 1, 2012
Brigadier General June 2, 2018
Major General Sept. 2, 2020
Lieutenant General Aug. 6, 2022
(Current as of September 2023)