Brig. Gen. Jeff Hurlbert is the 32nd Commandant of the National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. The National War College educates future leaders of the Armed Forces, Department of State, and other civilian agencies for high-level leadership, command, policy, and staff responsibilities by conducting a senior-level course of study in the theory, development, and assessment of national security strategy. As the Commandant, Brig. Gen. Hurlbert is the Chief Executive, Administrative, and Education Officer of the college including leading the formulation of academic policies, supervision and preparation of curriculum planning, and ensuring excellence in classroom teaching.
Brig. Gen. Hurlbert was commissioned in 1991 as a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Notre Dame. He spent the majority of his career as a federally credentialed Special Agent with the Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and has served in a variety of counterintelligence, intelligence, security, and federal law enforcement positions supporting operations worldwide.
The general has commanded at the detachment, squadron and wing levels. He has been assigned to both Headquarters Air Force and Geographic Combatant Command staffs, and he served as Director of Security and Intelligence (J2), Military Office, The White House. Prior to serving as the Commandant of the National War College, Brig. Gen. Hurlbert was the Deputy Inspector General for the Department of the Air Force.
He wears the U.S. Army Parachutist and Air Assault badges, as well as the Presidential Service Badge.
EDUCATION
1991 Bachelor of Business Administration, Accountancy, U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Distinguished Graduate, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.
1995 Master of Science, Business Organizational Management, University of La Verne, La Verne, Calif. (satellite branch, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska)
1997 Air Force Special Investigations Academy, Distinguished Graduate, Andrews AFB, Md.
1998 Squadron Officer School, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2004 Post Graduate Intelligence Program, National Intelligence University, Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C.
2005 Joint Forces Staff College, Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Norfolk, Va.
2007 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2011 Master of Arts, National Security and Strategic Studies, with distinction, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2011 A Transformational Journey from Gettysburg, The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg, Gettysburg, Va.
2012 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2012 U.S. Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
2014 Senior Officer Security Seminar, Richmond, Va.
2016 Air Force Senior Leader Orientation Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2019 CAPSTONE General/Flag Joint Officer Course, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2020 Public Policy Seminar-Africa, Alan L. Freed Associates Inc., Capitol Hill Club, Washington, D.C.
2020 National and International Security Leadership Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates Inc., Capitol Hill Club, Washington, D.C.
2021 Senior Executives in National and International Security, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2021 Public Policy Seminar-China and the Far East, Alan L. Freed Associates Inc., Capitol Hill Club, Washington, D.C.
2022 Seminar for New Presidents, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 1992–August 1992, Student Pilot, Reese Air Force Base, Texas
2. September 1992–June 1993, Graduate Student, Moreau Seminary, Congregation of Holy Cross, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.
3. July 1993–September 1996, Section Commander, 353rd Combat Training Squadron; then Chief of Protocol, then Executive Officer to the Commander, 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson AFB, Alaska
4. September 1996–September 1997, Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, Eleventh Air Force, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
5. September 1997–December 1997, Student, AFSIA, Andrews AFB, Md.
6. January 1998–May 1999, Operations Officer, Office of Special Investigation, 63rd Field Investigations Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
7. June 1999–June 2001, Commander, OSI Detachment 225, Holloman AFB, N.M.
8. July 2001–June 2003, Action Officer, Inquiries (now Complaints Resolution) Directorate, Office of the Inspector General, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
9. July 2003–May 2004, Student, Post Graduate Intelligence Program, Joint Military Intelligence College (now National Intelligence University), Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C.
10. June 2004–December 2005, Counterintelligence Action Officer, Directorate of Intelligence (J2), Headquarters U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii
11. January 2006–July 2009, Director of Security & Intelligence (J2), Military Office, The White House, Washington, D.C.
12. August 2009–June 2010, Commander, OSI 5th Field Investigations Squadron, Osan Air Base, South Korea
13. July 2010–June 2011, Student, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
14. July 2011–June 2012, Vice Commander, OSI 5th Field Investigations Region (wing), Ramstein AB, Germany
15. June 2012–July 2014, Commander, OSI 5th Field Investigations Region (wing), Ramstein AB, Germany
16. July 2014–July 2016, Director of Special Investigations (with concurrent duties as Director of Inspections June–November 2015), Office of the Inspector General, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. July 2016–March 2019, Director of Senior Official Inquiries, Office of the Inspector General, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. March 2019–July 2021, Deputy Inspector General, Department of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
19. July 2021–present, Commandant, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2004–December 2005, Counterintelligence Action Officer, Directorate of Intelligence (J2), Headquarters U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, as a major
2. January 2006–July 2009, Director of Security & Intelligence (J2), Military Office, The White House, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
3. July 2021–present, Commandant, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., as a brigadier general
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1991 Notre Dame Air Force Award, presented to the top U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps graduate each year
1997 Office of Special Investigations Commander’s Award for Academic Excellence, AFSIA
1997 John W. Wrentmore Award for “Excellence of Character, Integrity, & Dedication to Duty,” AFSIA
2001 Lance P. Sijan U.S. Air Force Leadership Award, OSI’s Air Force-level winner
2010 Republic of Korea, Minister of National Defense Award
2011 James V. Forrestal Award for Excellence in Strategy and Force Planning, U.S. Naval War College
2020 Hall of Fame inductee, Roncalli High School, Aberdeen, S.D.
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 18, 1991
First Lieutenant Oct. 30, 1993
Captain Oct. 30, 1995
Major Aug. 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2006
Colonel Oct. 1, 2010
Brigadier General June 2, 2018
(Current as of June 2023)