Brig. Gen. Leslie S. Hadley is the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida. As the Air Force component to the U.S. Special Operations Command, AFSOC provides Air Force special operations forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to unified combatant commanders with 20,800 active duty, Reserve and Air National Guard, and civilian personnel, 277 aircraft and $174.4 billion in assets.
Brig. Gen. Hadley entered the U.S. Air Force in 1990 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy. She commanded the 919th Special Operations Support Squadron and the 711th Special Operations Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base Field 3?, Florida. She has held several key staff and operational positions at Headquarters Air Force, Air Force Special Operations Command and Air Mobility Command. Prior to her current assignment, she was the Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Operations, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Brig. Gen. Hadley is a Command Pilot and Combat Aviation Advisor with more than 4,400 flying hours in T- 37, T-38, T-1A, KC-135R, RC-135 U/V/W, C-130E, MC-130E, MC-130P, C-145A and C-130J aircraft. She has
flown over 1,300 combat and combat support hours supporting operations Decisive/Joint Endeavor, Southern Watch, Allied Force, Desert Fox and Iraqi Freedom. In her civilian capacity, the general is a commercial airline pilot with a global airline.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Science, Legal Studies, United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
1994 Master of Business Administration, Boston University, Boston, Mass.
1996 Squadron Officer School, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2008 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2014 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 Reserve National Security Component Course, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2016 Naval War College Theatre Strategy and War Course, Newport, R.I.
2017 Joint Combined Warfare School, Norfolk, Va.
2020 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2020 Director of Mobility Forces Course, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
2023 Continuous Process Improvement for Executives, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1990–October 1991, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese Air Force Base, Texas
2. November 1991–December 1994, Squadron Section Commander (banked pilot), 911th Air Refueling Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB. N.C.
3. December 1994–October 1998, RC-135 Instructor Pilot, 38th Reconnaissance Squadron, Offutt AFB, Neb.
4. October 1998–February 1999, Operations Officer, 763rd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia
5. February 1999–July 2000, 55th Wing Operations Group Executive Officer, Offutt AFB, Neb.
6. January 2005–August 2008, MC-130P Aircraft Commander, Eglin AFB Field 3, Fla.
7. September 2008–October 2012, MC-130E Aircraft Commander, Eglin AFB Field 3, Fla.
8. November 2012–September 2014, Commander, 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, C-145A Aircraft Commander, Eglin AFB Field 3, Fla.
9. September 2014–December 2016, Commander, 711th Special Operations Squadron, C-145A Instructor Pilot, Eglin AFB Field 3, Fla
10. December 2016–November 2017, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to Headquarters United States Air Force, Special Operations and Personnel Recovery Chief, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. November 2017–September 2019, IMA to Director, Air Force Reserve Plans, Programs and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. September 2019–May 2021, Vice Commander, 403rd Wing, Keesler AFB, Miss.
13. May 2021–August 2023, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, 18th Air Force, Scott AFB, Ill.
14. August 2023–February 2024, Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Operations, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla..
15. February 2024–present, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: 4,400 including more than 1,300 combat and combat support hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, T-1A, KC-10A, KC-135R, TC-135W, RC-135 U/V/W, C-130E, MC-130P, MC-130E, C-145A and C-130J
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
General Jerome F O'Malley Award for U.S. Air Force "Best Reconnaissance Crew" 1998
Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air and Space Force Achievement Medal
(Current as of April 2024)