Major General THOMAS E. MURPHY

Maj. Gen. Thomas E. Murphy is the Director, Protecting Critical Technology Task Force, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In this capacity, he leads the Secretary of Defense-established task force responsible for countering the loss of the department’s critical information and technologies, ensuring the competitive advantage of the Joint Force.

General Murphy entered the Air Force in 1989 as a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. He has served in a variety of operational and training assignments in the C-5, T-38 and T-1. He has commanded the 47th Flying Training Wing, the 376th Expeditionary Operations Group and the 9th Airlift Squadron, and has served on the staffs of a combatant command, Joint Staff, Air Force headquarters and numbered Air Force. Prior to his current assignment, General Murphy was the Deputy Director of Resource Integration and Logistics Chief Information Officer, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon.

EDUCATION
1988 Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass.
1994 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1998 Master of Science degree in aeronautical science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
2000 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by seminar
2002 Master’s degree in national security and strategic studies, Naval Command and Staff, Newport, R.I.
2006 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2008 National Defense Fellow, Belfer Center, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2010 Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk, Va.
2011 Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century Leadership Course, Robins AFB, Ga.
2011 Leadership Enhancement Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2012 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Darden School, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
2016 Senior Joint Information Operations Applications Course, LeMay Center, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2017 Joint Force Air Component Commander’s Course, LeMay Center, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2018 Advanced Senior Leader Development Program, Strategic Engagement Seminar, Warrenton, Va.
2018 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, LeMay Center, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2018 Cybersecurity: The Intersection of Policy and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1989 – June 1990, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
2. June 1990 – August 1994, T-38 instructor pilot, 86th Flying Training Squadron, Laughlin AFB, Texas
3. August 1994 – December 1998, C-5 instructor pilot; chief of training and scheduling; flight commander, 3rd Airlift Squadron, and executive officer to the commander, 436th Airlift Wing, Dover AFB, Del.
4. December 1998 – June 2001, Chief, C4ISR Policy, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
5. June 2001 – June 2002, student, Naval Command and Staff College, Newport, R.I.
6. June 2002 – May 2005, C-5 evaluator pilot; operations officer, 21st Airlift Squadron, and chief, command post, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
7. May 2005 – November 2006, Commander, 9th Airlift Squadron, Dover AFB, Del.
8. November 2006 – June 2007, Deputy Commander, 436th Operations Group, Dover AFB, Del.
9. January 2007 – May 2007, Commander, 376th Expeditionary Operations Group, Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan
10. June 2007 – June 2008, National Defense Fellow, Belfer Center, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
11. June 2008 – July 2010, U.S. Transportation Command liaison to U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla.
12. July 2010 – September 2011, Vice Commander, 47th Flying Training Wing, Laughlin AFB, Texas
13. September 2011 – April 2013, Commander, 47th Flying Training Wing, Laughlin AFB, Texas
14. May 2013 – July 2014, Deputy Director, Operations and Plans, Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
15. July 2014 – Jun 2016, Vice Commander, 24th Air Force and Air Forces Cyber, Joint Base San Antonio – Lackland, Texas
16. June 2016 – August 2018, Deputy Director for Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4)/Cyber, Joint Staff, J6, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. August 2018 – October 2018, Deputy Director, Resource Integration, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. October 2018 – present, Director, Protecting Critical Technology Task Force, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2008 – July 2010, U.S. Transportation Command liaison to U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla., as a lieutenant colonel and colonel
2. May 2013 – July 2014, Deputy Director, Operations and Plans, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill., as a colonel
3. June 2016 – August 2018, Deputy Director for Command, Control, Communications and Computers/Cyber, Joint Staff, J6, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a brigadier general and major general
4. October 2018 – present, Protecting Critical Technology Task Force, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a major general

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating:  Command Pilot
Flight hours:   more than 3,400
Aircraft flown:  C-5, T-38, T-1 and T-37

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Dec. 25, 1988
First Lieutenant Dec. 25, 1990
Captain Dec. 25, 1992
Major May 1, 2000
Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 2004
Colonel Sep. 1, 2008
Brigadier General July 24, 2014
Major General May 2, 2018

(Current as of August 2021)