Brig. Gen. Norman West is the Director of Staff, Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia. The DHA is the Combat Support Agency providing support to combatant commanders, and enabling the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps medical services to provide a medically ready force and ready medical force. In addition to the 10 joint Enterprise Support Activities supporting an integrated health delivery system, DHA is responsible for the administration of the TRICARE Health Program providing worldwide medical, dental and pharmacy programs to more than 9.6 million uniformed service members, retirees and their families.
Brig. Gen. West has commanded at the Squadron, Group and Task Force level. Prior to his current assignment, he was Commander, Task Force Medical - Afghanistan and Commander, 455th Expeditionary Medical Group at Craig Joint Theater Hospital, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Brig. Gen. West led a unified medical command consisting of 873 U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as Coalition partners from 14 nations at 49 medical hospitals and trauma centers throughout the Combined Joint Operating Area - Afghanistan with a remarkable casualty survival rate of 97.9%. Likewise, he commanded the 412th Medical Group, Edwards Air Force Base, California, capturing the Air Force Materiel Command’s “Best Clinic” and “Best Dental Clinic.” Brig. Gen. West concurrently commanded the 374th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and 374th Medical Operations Squadron, Yokota Air Base, Japan. He led specialized warriors from five Air Force squadrons and Army Chemical Company, creating and sustaining the first nuclear emergency response task force because of the deadly earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear catastrophe in Japan. He built Operation Tomodachi strategy and long-term nuclear response capabilities sustaining over 320,000 tsunami survivors through the airlift of 2.3 million tons of relief and 23,000 hours of nuclear detection and decontamination missions.
Brig. Gen. West’s staff assignments include Surgeon General for Air Mobility Command, U.S. Air Force’s Biomedical Sciences Corps Chief, Air Force District of Washington’s Command Surgeon, the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General, Aerospace and Operational Physiology Consultant at Pacific Air Forces, 18th Wing Director of Staff, Investigations Branch Chief and Headquarters Air Force Safety Center Inspector General. Moreover, he completed senior level studies in national security strategy formulation and implementation at National War College. He focused on national security strategy while specializing in weapons of mass destruction, emphasizing a comprehensive Federal and Department of Defense perspective. Finally, Brig. Gen. West is a board-certified Aerospace Physiologist.
EDUCATION
1989 Bachelor of Science, Exercise Physiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond
1991 Master of Science, Scientific Basis for Human Performance, University of Oklahoma, Norman
1997 Master of Public Health, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md.
2000 Squadron Officer School, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2006 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Master of Science, Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. by correspondence
2016 Master of Science, National Strategic Studies, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2016 National War College, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1994–January 1997, Chief, Aircrew Training, 74th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
2. January 1997–July 1997, Commander, Aerospace Physiology Flight, 74th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio
3. July 1997–July 1999, Aerospace Physiology Management Fellow, Air Force Medical Operations Agency, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.
4. July 1999–May 2002, Director, Aerospace Physiology Training Courses, USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Texas
5. May 2002–March 2004, Royal Air Force Aircrew Equipment Integration Commander, USAF Personnel Exchange Program British Royal Air Force, Royal Air Force Henlow, United Kingdom
6. March 2004–March 2005, Aerospace Physiology Flight Commander and Wing Exercise Physiologist, 92nd Aeromedical Dental Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
7. March 2005–July 2006, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. July 2006–June 2008, Deputy Commander, 18th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and Headquarters Pacific Air Forces/Surgeon General Aerospace Physiology Consultant, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan
9. June 2008–June 2009, Director of Staff, 18th Wing, Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan
10. June 2009–June 2011, Commander, 374th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Yokota AB, Japan
11. June 2011–July 2013, Chief, Investigations Branch, Headquarters Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
12. July 2013–July 2014, Inspector General, Headquarters AFSC, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
13. July 2014–July 2015, Deputy Group Commander, 96th Medical Group, Eglin AFB, Fla.
14. July 2015–July 2016, Student, National War College, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
15. August 2016–July 2018, Commander, 412th Medical Group, Edwards AFB, Calif.
16. July 2018–May 2019, Command Surgeon, Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
17. May 2019–June 2020, Commander, Task Force Medical, Afghanistan and 455th Expeditionary Medical Group, Bagram AB, Afghanistan
18. August 2020–July 2022, Surgeon General, Air Mobility Command and United States Air Force Biomedical Sciences Corps Chief, Scott AFB, Ill.
19. July 2022–present, Director of Staff, Defense Health Agency, Defense Health Headquarters, Falls Church, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2022–present, Director of Staff, Defense Health Agency, Defense Health Headquarters, Falls Church, Va. as a brigadier general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: qualified military high altitude freefall parachutist and static-line parachutist
Jumps: more than 140 including Experimental Test Jumps / all U.S. military services/international
Aircraft Jumped: C-130, MC-130, C-130J, C-130J-30, C-17, C-141, UH-60, UH-1, CH-47 (Singapore), MH-53, UV-18, Casa 212 and BE-36
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with device
Bronze Star Medal with device
Meritorious Service Medal with eight devices
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with device
Air Force Achievement Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1997 Aerospace Physiology Management Fellow, AF Surgeon General
2000 Aerospace Physiologist of the Year, Air Force Materiel Command
2001 Aerospace Physiologist of the Year, Air Force Materiel Command
2002 Board Certified in Aerospace Physiology, Aerospace Medicine Association
2005 Associate Fellow, Aerospace Medical Association
2006 Commandant's Award, Air Command and Staff College
2006 Field Grade Aerospace Physiologist of the Year, Pacific Air Forces
2007 Field Grade Aerospace Physiologist of the Year, Pacific Air Forces
2011 Force Health Protection Award, Society of the Federal Health Professionals; 374th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight
2011 Operational Medicine Award; Association of Military Surgeons of the United States
2016 Alumni Graduate School of Medicine Award, Uniformed Services University
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
First Lieutenant May 28, 1993
Captain May 28, 1995
Major April 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 2006
Colonel April 1, 2014
Brigadier General Aug. 2, 2020
(Current as of September 2022)