James E. Smith (general)

{{About|the U.S. Space Force general|others of the same name|James Smith (disambiguation){{!}}James Smith}}

{{Infobox military person

| name = James E. Smith

| image = Maj Gen James E. Smith.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Official portrait, 2024

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|01|10}}

| birth_place = Boise, Idaho, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| placeofburial =

| birth_name =

| allegiance = United States

| branch = {{plainlist|United States Air Force

United States Space Force}}

| branch_label = Branch

| serviceyears = {{plainlist|1997–2021 (Air Force)

2021–present (Space Force)}}

| rank = Major General

| servicenumber =

| unit =

| commands = {{plainlist|Peterson-Schriever Garrison

| battles =

| awards = {{plainlist|Defense Superior Service Medal (2)

Legion of Merit}}

| relations =

| alma_mater = {{plainlist|United States Air Force Academy (BS)

{{nowrap|Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS)}}}}

| laterwork =

| signature = James E. Smith signature.svg

}}

James Earl Smith (born January 10, 1973) is a United States Space Force major general who serves as the vice director for joint force development at the Joint Staff. He previously served as the assistant deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber, and nuclear. He also served as the deputy United States military representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and commander of the Peterson-Schriever Garrison.{{cite web|url=https://www.schriever.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1887201/50th-sw-changes-command/|title=50th SW Changes Command|date=June 25, 2019|agency=Schriever Air Force Base|access-date=August 14, 2020|archive-date=June 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629031753/https://www.schriever.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1887201/50th-sw-changes-command/|url-status=dead}} {{PD-notice}}

Smith was commissioned in 1997 as the top graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. His operations experience includes directing range support for launch operations from the Eastern Range, Cape Canaveral, Fla., and providing command and control for national reconnaissance and Global Positioning System spacecraft. He transferred to the U.S. Space Force in April 2021.

Education

File:Cdt James E. Smith (4).jpg

James Earl Smith was born in Boise, Idaho, on January 10, 1973.{{cite book |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/usafayearbooks/1997.pdf |title=Polaris |date=1997 |publisher=United States Air Force Academy |location=Colorado Springs, Colorado |volume=XXXIX |page=361 |access-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-date=December 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204170135/https://s3.amazonaws.com/usafayearbooks/1997.pdf |url-status=live }} {{PD-notice}} In 1991, he graduated from Meridian High School, during which he worked as a paperboy for the Idaho Statesman.{{Cite web|title=Boise native confirmed as Space Force brigadier general|url=https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/boise-native-space-force-general/277-7205ed00-4a87-4f19-a681-70850bc02dc9|access-date=2021-03-27|website=ktvb.com|date=March 26, 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=March 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210326212330/https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/boise-native-space-force-general/277-7205ed00-4a87-4f19-a681-70850bc02dc9|url-status=live}}

1997 Bachelor of Science, Astronautical Engineering and Japanese language minor, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1999 Master of Science, Aeronautics and Astronautics, Mass. Institute of Technology, Cambridge
2001 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2003 Air Force Intern Program, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
2003 Certificate Program, Organizational Management, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
2007 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. by correspondence
2010 Master of Airpower Art and Science, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2017 Master of Science, National Resource Strategy, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, Washington, D.C.
2018 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill{{Cite web|url=https://www.spaceforce.mil/Biographies/Display/Article/2830938/james-e-smith/|title=Major James E. Smith|date=June 2024|website=United States Space Force|access-date=2024-06-25}}

Military career

File:New chapter begins as Warakomski takes command (8).jpg in 2021]]

In 2020, Smith was nominated for transfer to the United States Space Force.{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/2172|title=PN2172 — Space Force|website=United States Congress|access-date=August 14, 2020|archive-date=October 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005013848/https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/2172|url-status=live}} {{PD-notice}} A year later, he was nominated for promotion to brigadier general.{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/44|title=PN44 — Space Force|website=United States Congress|access-date=January 7, 2021|archive-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110192541/https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/44|url-status=live}} {{PD-notice}}

In April 2024, Smith was nominated for promotion to major general. His nomination was confirmed on May 2, 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/118th-congress/1589|title=PN1587 — Space Force|website=U.S. Congress|date=2024-04-08 }} He was promoted to major general on June 21, 2024, and assigned as vice director joint force development of the Joint Staff. He is the first Space Force officer to hold a vice director position in the Joint Staff.{{cite web|url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article289275410.html|title=U.S. Space Force soon will have a new major general in vital roles. He grew up in Boise|date=2024-06-14|last=O'Neal|first=Samuel|website=Idaho Statesman}}

= Assignments =

1. May 1997 - May 1999, Graduate Student and Charles Stark Draper Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.

2. May 1999 - June 2002, Spacecraft Systems Engineer and Chief, GPS Spacecraft Systems Analysis, 2nd Space Operations Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colo.

3. June 2002 - June 2003, Intern, Air Force Intern Program, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

4. July 2003 - May 2006, Chief, Space Control Demonstration Operations Flight and Wing Executive Officer, Space Superiority Materiel Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.

5. June 2006 - June 2008, Chief, Space Operations Division and Assistant Operations Officer, Space Operations Squadron, Aerospace Data Facility - Colorado, Buckley AFB, Colo.

6. July 2009 - June 2010, Student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

7. July 2010 - July 2012, Chief, Mission Area Architecting Branch, Directorate of Requirements, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo. (January 2012 - June 2012, Program Manager and Acting Commander, Defense Contract Management Agency-Northern Afghanistan, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan)

8. August 2012 - May 2014, Commander, 1st Range Operations Squadron, Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla.

9. May 2014 - May 2015, Assistant Executive Officer to the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

10. June 2015 - June 2016, Chief, Air Force and Air Defense Security Assistance Team, Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq, U.S. Embassy, Baghdad, Iraq

11. July 2016 - June 2017, Student, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.

12. June 2017 – June 2019, Commander, Air Force Element, and Chief, Mission Operations & Engineering, RAF Menwith Hill, United Kingdom.

13. June 2019 – July 2020, Commander, 50th Space Wing, Schriever AFB, Colo.

14. July 2020 – June 2021, Commander, Peterson-Schriever Garrison, Peterson AFB, Colo.

15. July 2021 – July 2023, Deputy U.S. Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee, NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium

16. July 2023 – June 2024, Assistant Deputy Chief of Space Operations, Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear, Headquarters, United States Space Force, Washington D.C.

17. June 2024 – Present, Vice Director for Joint Force Development, Joint Staff, Washington D.C.

Awards and decorations

Smith is the recipient of the following awards:

160px

|Command Space Operations Badge

File:Senior Acquisitions and Financial Management Badge.jpg

|Senior Acquisitions and Financial Management Badge

File:Joint Chiefs of Staff seal (2).svg

|Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

File:Space Staff Identification Badge.png

|Space Staff Badge

{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|name=US Defense Superior Service Medal ribbon|width=60}}

|Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster

{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Legion of Merit ribbon|width=60}}

|Legion of Merit

{{ribbon devices|number=2|name=Defense Meritorious Service Medal ribbon|width=60}}

|Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters

{{ribbon devices|number=3|type=oak|name=Meritorious Service ribbon|width=60}}

|Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters

{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=oak|name=Air Force Commendation ribbon|width=60}}

|Air Force Commendation Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters

{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Air Force Achievement Medal ribbon|width=60}}

|Air Force Achievement Medal

{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|name=Joint Meritorious Unit Award (USMC and USN frame)|width=60}}

|Joint Meritorious Unit Award

{{ribbon devices|number=4|type=oak|name=Outstanding Unit ribbon|width=60}}

|Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four bronze oak leaf clusters

{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=oak|name=Organizational Excellence ribbon|width=60}}

|Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with two bronze oak leaf cluster

{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|name=National Defense Service Medal ribbon|width=60}}

|National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star

{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|name=Afghanistan Campaign Medal ribbon|width=60}}

|Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one bronze service star

{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|name=Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal ribbon|width=60}}

|Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal with one bronze service star

{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Global War on Terrorism Service ribbon|width=60}}

|Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=AF OS Short Tour Ribbon|width=60}}

|Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon

{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|name=Air and Space Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon|width=60}}

|Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon and one bronze oak leaf cluster

{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold frame.png|width=60}}

|Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold frame and one bronze oak leaf cluster

{{ribbon devices|number=6|type=oak|name=Longevity Service Award USAF|width=60}}

|Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and one bronze oak leaf cluster

{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Air Force Training Ribbon|width=60}}

|Air Force Training Ribbon

{{ribbon devices|ribbon=NATO Medal ribbon (Non-Article 5).svg|width=60}}

|NATO Medal

Writings

{{cite thesis |type=M.S. |date=June 2010 |title=Application of Optimization Techniques to the Design and Maintenance of Satellite Constellations |publisher=School of Advanced Air and Space Studies |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA370571.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102120900/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA370571.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=November 2, 2021}}
{{cite thesis |type=M.S. |date=October 25, 1999 |title=One Size Fits? All Assessment of the National Space based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Strategy |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1019191.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102120859/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1019191.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=November 2, 2021}}

Dates of promotion

class="wikitable" \|+ ! Rank !! Branch !! Date
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO1\|75}} Second Lieutenant	rowspan=6\|Air Force	May 28, 1997
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO2\|75}} First Lieutenant	May 28, 1999
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO3\|75}} Captain	May 28, 2001
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO4\|75}} Major	November 1, 2006
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO5\|75}} Lieutenant Colonel	December 1, 2011
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO6\|75}} Colonel	May 1, 2016
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO6\|75}} Colonel	rowspan=3\|Space Force	~September 30, 2020
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO7\|75}} Brigadier General	July 3, 2022
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO8\|75}} Major General	June 21, 2024

References

{{s-ttl|title=Commander of the Air Force Element at RAF Menwith Hill|years=2017–2019}}

{{s-ttl|title=Commander of Peterson-Schriever Garrison|years=2020–2021}}

{{s-ttl|title=Deputy United States Military Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization|years=2021–2023}}

{{s-ttl|title=Assistant Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear|years=2023–2024}}

{{s-ttl|title=Vice Director for Joint Force Development of the Joint Staff|years=2024–present}}

Category:Living people

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Category:United States Air Force Academy alumni

Category:MIT School of Engineering alumni

Category:George Washington University alumni

Category:School of Advanced Air and Space Studies alumni

Category:Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy alumni

Category:Space Operations Command personnel

Category:United States Air Force colonels

Category:United States Space Force generals

Category:1973 births

class="wikitable" \|+ ! Rank !! Branch !! Date
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO1\|75}} Second Lieutenant	rowspan=6\|Air Force	May 28, 1997
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO2\|75}} First Lieutenant	May 28, 1999
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO3\|75}} Captain	May 28, 2001
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO4\|75}} Major	November 1, 2006
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO5\|75}} Lieutenant Colonel	December 1, 2011
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO6\|75}} Colonel	May 1, 2016
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO6\|75}} Colonel	rowspan=3\|Space Force	~September 30, 2020
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO7\|75}} Brigadier General	July 3, 2022
\| {{Dodseal\|USAFO8\|75}} Major General	June 21, 2024