General JAMES C. SLIFE

General James C. “Jim” Slife served as vice chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., where he oversaw the Air Staff and served as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Requirements Oversight Council and Deputy Advisory Working Group. He assisted the Chief of Staff with organizing, training and equipping 689,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas.

Gen. Slife was born in Michigan outside of Detroit and grew up in Hot Springs, Ark. He received his commission through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Auburn University, Ala., where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering.

Slife spent most of his career in special operations aviation assignments, deploying multiple times. He is a command pilot with more than 3,100 flying hours, with over 280 hours flown in combat. He has held numerous command positions, including commander of Air Force Special Operations Command. Prior to his last assignment, Slife was the deputy chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force., the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

EDUCATION
1989 Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, Auburn University, Ala.
1995 Master of Aerospace Science, Aeronautics, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
1997 Master of Administrative Science, Organizational Management, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2001 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2001 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2002 School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Joint Forces Staff College, Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Va.
2007 Senior Developmental Education, Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow-Microsoft Corporation, Reston, Va.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 1990–November 1990, Helicopter student pilot, 3588th Flying Training Squadron, Fort Rucker, Ala.
2.December 1990–October 1991, UH-1H instructor pilot, 3588th Flying Training Squadron, Fort Rucker, Ala.
3. November 1991–June 1992, MH-53J student pilot, 1550th Technical Combat Helicopter Training Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
4. July 1992–July 1995, MH-53J instructor pilot, 20th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
5. August 1995–May 1997, Air Force intern, Office of the Director, Air Force Legislative Liaison and Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations and the Environment, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
6. June 1997–August 1997, MH-53J requalification student, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
7. September 1997–July 2000, Flight commander, Assistant Director of Operations and flight examiner pilot, 21st SOS, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
8. August 2000–June 2001, Air Command and Staff College student, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. July 2001–June 2002, School of Advanced Airpower Studies student, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
10. June 2002–June 2004, director of Operations, 20th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. (December 2003–March 2004, commander, Joint Special Operations Aviation Detachment-Arabian Peninsula)
11. June 2004–February 2006, commander, 21st Special Operations Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom (October 2004–February 2005, Commander, Joint Special Operations Aviation Detachment-Arabian Peninsula)
12. February 2006–July 2006, deputy commander, 352nd Special Operations Group, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
13. July 2006–June 2007, Secretary of Defense corporate fellow, Microsoft Corporation, Reston, Va.
14. June 2007–June 2009, director, Emerging Capabilities Division, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. July 2009–March 2010, senior program analyst, Irregular Warfare Division, Office of the Director, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Washington, D.C.
16. March 2010–June 2011, commander, 27th Special Operations Group, Cannon AFB, N.M. (March 2011–May 2011, commander, Joint Special Operations Aviation Detachment-Afghanistan)
17. June 2011–July 2013, commander, 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
18. July 2013–November 2013, special assistant to the Commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
19. November 2013–May 2014, deputy director, Special Plans Working Group, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
20. May 2014–August 2015, vice director, Strategy, Plans and Policy, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
21. August 2015–June 2017, chief of Staff, U.N. Command and U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, South Korea
22. June 2017–June 2018, chief of Staff, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
23. July 2018–June 2019, vice commander, Headquarters, Special Operations Command, Washington, D.C.
24. June 2019–December 2022, commander, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
25. December 2022–December 2023, deputy chief of Staff, Operations, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
26. December 2023–February 2025, vice chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2007–June 2009, director, Emerging Capabilities Division, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics), Arlington, Va., as a colonel
2. July 2009–March 2010, senior program analyst, Irregular Warfare Division, Office of the Director, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Washington, D.C., as a colonel
3. November 2013–May 2014, deputy director, Special Plans Working Group, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., as a brigadier general
4. May 2014–August 2015, vice director, Strategy, Plans and Policy, USCENTCOM, MacDill AFB, Fla., as a brigadier general
5. August 2015–June 2017, chief of Staff, U.N. Command and U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, South Korea, as a major general
6. June 2017–June 2018, chief of Staff, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla., as a major general
7. July 2018–June 2019, vice commander, Headquarters, Special Operations Command, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant general

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,100
Aircraft flown: MH-53, MQ-1 and others

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Combat Action Medal

OTHER AWARDS AND HONORS
1998 Air Force Special Operations Command Pilot of the Year
2002 Air Force Historical Foundation Writing Award–Best SAAS Thesis, “Creech Blue: General Bill Creech and the reformation of the tactical Air Forces, 1978-1984”
2008 Major General John R. Alison Special Operations Educator of the Year

(Current as of July 2025)