Ms. Lea T. Kirkwood, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Program Executive Officer and Director for the Agile Combat Support Directorate at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. She leads more than 1,600 military and civilian personnel responsible for executing $8.2 billion annually in Air Force Funds. The directorate’s six divisions, located primarily at Wright-Patterson AFB, Robins AFB, Georgia and Heath Ohio, provide materiel solutions and acquisition life cycle management for simulators, support equipment and vehicles, electronic warfare and avionics, human systems, automatic test systems, and metrology and calibration to meet Air Force operational needs.
Ms. Kirkwood served 29 years as an active-duty Air Force officer. As an acquisition program manager, she managed space, command and control, mission planning, automatic test systems, and early warning and control programs for United States and NATO operations, as well as foreign military sales. She led international relations at the Pentagon, in Hungary, and in the United Kingdom. She commanded the 422nd Air Base Squadron, Royal Air Force Croughton, United Kingdom, and served as Deputy Commander, 78th Mission Support Group, Robins AFB, Ga.; Deputy Commander, 451st Expeditionary Mission Support Group, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan; and Vice Commander, 72nd Air Base Wing, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. She deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Freedom’s Sentinel, and for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.
Ms. Kirkwood entered federal civil service in January 2022 as the Program Executive Officer and Director for the Agile Combat Support Directorate of the AFLCMC.
EDUCATION
1992 Bachelor of Environmental Design, Architecture, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2004 Master of International Business Administration, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
2006 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2006 Master of Arts, Security Studies, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif.
2009 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 1993–August 1995, Executive Officer to the Director of Acquisition Development and Chief Engineer, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.
2. September 1995–September 1996, Acquisition Manager, Directorate of Acquisition Development, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
3. September 1996–August 1997, Executive Officer to the Commander, 8th Support Group, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea
4. September 1997–October 1999, Program Manager, Mission Planning Foreign Sales and Program Manager, B-1B Mission Planning, Combat Air Forces Command and Control System Program Office, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
5. October 1999–September 2000, Deputy Division Chief, Joint Mission Planning, Combat Air Forces Command and Control System Program Office, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
6. September 2000–June 2003, International Politico-Military Affairs Officer, Foreign Liaison Office, Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
7. June 2003–June 2004, Executive Officer to the Director for External Relations, Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
8. June 2004–August 2005, Chief, GPS III Acquisition Integration Branch, Navstar/Global Positioning Satellite Joint Program Office, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
9. September 2005–December 2006, Graduate Student, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif.
10. January 2007–July 2008, Deputy Chief of International Relations, Headquarters 3rd Air Force, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom
11. July 2008–July 2010, Commander, 422nd Air Base Squadron, RAF Croughton, United Kingdom
12. August 2010–July 2013, Deputy Commander, 78th Mission Support Group, Robins AFB, Ga., (July 2011–February 2012), Deputy Commander, 451st Expeditionary Mission Support Group, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan
13. July 2013–June 2014, Chief, Automatic Test Systems Division, Agile Combat Support Directorate, Robins AFB, Ga.
14. June 2014–August 2016, Vice Commander, 72nd Air Base Wing, Tinker AFB, Okla.
15. August 2016–July 2019, Chief, International Airborne Battle Management Command and Control Division, Battle Management Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass., (October 2018–April 2019), Executive Officer to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy and Policy, Headquarters Resolute Support, and Chief of Staff, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan
16. July 2019–July 2020, Deputy Director and Deputy Program Executive Officer, Agile Combat Support Directorate, AFLCMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
17. August 2020–January 2022, Acting Director and Program Executive Officer, Agile Combat Support Directorate, AFLCMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
18. January 2022–present, Director and Program Executive Officer, Agile Combat Support Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
National Defense Silver Medal, Ministry of Defense, France
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATES
2019 Acquisition Professional Development Program, Program Management Level III
(Current as of November 2023)