Air Force establishes Pentagon-based AFSPC vice commander position

  • Published
  • Air Force Space Command Public Affairs
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AFNS) --  Lt. Gen. David D. Thompson assumed the newly-created Air Force Space Command vice commander position on April 4, 2018, after pinning on his third star.

In this new Pentagon-based role, Thompson will report directly to Gen. Jay Raymond, AFSPC commander, while coordinating with Headquarters U.S. Air Force and other national security agencies in the Washington, D.C., area to ensure effective corporate advocacy and stewardship for Air Force space missions and capabilities.

"I am honored and humbled to continue to serve Air Force Space Command and the Air Force in this new position," Thompson said. "Space is absolutely critical to the joint fight and to our daily lives; I will be just one of thousands of Airmen working relentlessly to ensure our nation has the space capabilities we need to win any fight."

The position also represents the AFSPC commander in daily interactions in the National Capital Region. This allows Raymond to focus on managing the command headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base as well as his role as the Joint Force Space Component commander for U.S. Strategic Command.

Thompson previously served as the command's two-star vice commander (renamed as AFSPC deputy commander in July 2017) based in Colorado before serving as special assistant to the AFSPC commander since July 2017.

"This is a well-deserved promotion," Raymond said. "DT brings the right mix of leadership and space ops experience -- I look forward to working with him to execute the Air Force's critical space mission."

In the new AFSPC vice commander position, Thompson will integrate operations, policy, guidance, plans, strategy and requirements of AFSPC space efforts with HAF, the intelligence community, the Joint Staff, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and other agencies, while representing the commander of Air Force Space Command in daily interactions in the Washington area.