Lt. Gen. David A. Harris is the Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Force Futures, Headquarters, United States Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. As the HAF A5/7, Lt. Gen. Harris is the senior Air Force leader responsible for Strategy, Integration, and Requirements. HAF A5/7 focuses on developing Air Force strategy and concepts, delivering an integrated force design, conducting strategic assessments of the operating environment through wargames and workshops, and achieving timely and effective operational capabilities required for tomorrow’s Airmen to fight and win.
Lt. Gen. Harris received his commission from the University of Alabama in 1993. He is a master navigator and basic parachutist with 2,500 flying hours, having flown in support of operations Deliberate Force, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, and Inherent Resolve. Lt. Gen. Harris has commanded at the squadron, group, and wing level. He has served as the Vice Superintendent at the US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Deputy Director of Operations for Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and the Director of Strategic Plans, Programs and Requirements for Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Prior to his current position, Lt. Gen. Harris was the Deputy Commander, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central), and Deputy, Combined Forces Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia.
EDUCATION
1993 Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
2001 Master of Organizational Management, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
2006 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2007 Master of Military Art and Science, School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2014 National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2014 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2018 National Security Fellow, National Security Management Course, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
2020 Data Science for Data Leadership, Arlington, Va.
2021 Senior Joint Information Operations Applications Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2022 Combined Forces Air Component Commander (CFACC) Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 1994—May 1994, Student, Undergraduate Space Training, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
2. May 1994—October 1994, Defense Support Program Systems Engineer, 1st Space Operations Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colo.
3. November 1994—October 1995, Student, Undergraduate Navigator Training, Randolph AFB, Texas
4. October 1995—May 1999, Instructor Navigator AC-130U, 4th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
5. June 1999—May 2001, Student, Air Force Intern Program, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
6. June 2001—January 2002, Student, MC-130H Initial Navigator Qualification, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
7. February 2002—January 2004, Chief, Squadron Standards and Evaluations, 7th Special Operations Squadron, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom
8. February 2004—June 2005, Evaluator Navigator MC-130H, Chief of Group Information Office, 352nd Special Operations Group, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom
9. June 2005—May 2006, Student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
10. June 2006—May 2007, Student, School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
11. June 2007—May 2009, Director of Operations, 550th Special Operations Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
12. June 2009—June 2010, Commander, 550th Special Operations Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
13. July 2010—July 2012, Deputy Director of Operations, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.
14. July 2012—June 2013, Commander, 449th Air Expeditionary Group, Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti (Commander, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, Air Component).
15. June 2013—June 2014, Student, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
16. June 2014—June 2015, Senior Analyst, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. June 2015—July 2016, Commander, 1st Expeditionary Special Operations Wing, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar (Commander, Joint Special Operations Air Component, Central Command)
18. July 2016—July 2018, Vice Superintendent, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
19. July 2018—May 2020, Director, Strategic Plans, Programs, and Requirements, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
20. May 2020—Jun 2022, Director, Integration and Innovation Center, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
21. Jun 2022—April 2023, Deputy Commander, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central), Deputy Combined Forces Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia.
22. April 2023—December 2023, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
23. December 2023—present, Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Force Futures, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2010—July 2012, Deputy Director of Operations, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C. as a colonel
2. June 2014—June 2015, Senior Analyst, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. as a colonel
3. June 2022—April 2023, Deputy Commander, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central), Deputy Combined Forces Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia as a major general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: master navigator and basic parachutist
Flight hours: more than 2,500 including more than 247 combat hours
Aircraft flown: AC-130U, MC-130H, HC-130P/N, C-130E
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal (AF)
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross with valor device
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
(Current as of January 2024)