JOHN P. ROTH

Mr. John P. Roth served as the Acting Secretary of the Air Force until July 2021.

In this role, Mr. Roth leads the Department of the Air Force, comprised of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. He is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping Air and Space Forces and for the welfare of 697,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian Airmen, Guardians, and their families. As the Department’s senior leader overseeing an annual budget of more than $205 billion, Mr. Roth directs strategy, policy, acquisitions, technology, personnel, and risk management. He implements decisions of the President and Congress and fulfills Combatant Commanders’ operational requirements.

Mr. Roth served as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller from January 2018 to May 2020. As the Department’s comptroller and chief financial officer, he was the principal advisor on all financial matters to ensure the effective and efficient utilization of the Department’s financial resources. Mr. Roth oversaw the budgeting, auditing, cost estimating and financial operations that support Air Force priorities, in accordance with Congressional, Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Air Force Direction.

From June to October 2019 and May to December 2020, Mr. Roth performed the duties of the Under Secretary of the Air Force.

Mr. Roth entered the Senior Executive Service in 1990 and has held several key leadership positions within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). Most recently, he served as the Deputy Comptroller (Program and Budget), the most senior career financial manager in the Department of Defense, responsible for the development and execution of a $550 billion annual budget. In addition, from January 2017 through May 2017, Mr. Roth performed the duties of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer. He is a past President of the American Society of Military Comptrollers.

EDUCATION
1974 Bachelor of Arts, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
1977 Master of Science, Administration, the George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
1987 Executive Excellence Program, Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Va.
1991 Senior Managers in Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2000 National Security Leadership, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.

CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. July 1974–September 1977, Budget Analyst, Norfolk Naval Supply Center, Norfolk, Va.
2. October 1977–February 1984, Budget Officer, Naval Data Automation Command, Washington, D.C.
3. February 1984–July 1990, Budget Analyst, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
4. July 1990–February 1994, Associate Director for Investment, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
5. February 1994–November 2001, Deputy Director for Investment, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
6. November 2001–December 2017, Deputy Comptroller (Program and Budget); Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
7. June 2014–November 2015, Acting Principal Deputy Comptroller, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
8. January 2017–May 2017, performed the duties of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
9. January 2018–May 2019, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
10. June 2019–October 2019, performed the duties of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. October 2019–May 2020, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. May 2020–December 2020, performed the duties of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. January 2021–July 2021, Acting Secretary of the Air Force, Department of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

AWARDS AND HONORS
2000 Distinguished Civilian Service Medal
2005 Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award
2012 Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award
2017 Distinguished Civilian Service Medal
2019 Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Medal

(Current as of August 2021)