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Gen. David Allvin
Chief of Staff of the Air Force
U.S. Air Force
Gen. David W. Allvin is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 689,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President.
Gen. Allvin graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1986. He has commanded at the squadron and wing levels, including the 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. He has held major command staff assignments and served on the Joint Staff.
Gen. Allvin served as Commanding General, NATO Air Training Command - Afghanistan; Commander, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Kabul, Afghanistan; Commander, 618th Air and Space Operations Center; Director, Strategy, Concepts and Assessments; Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force and Director, Strategy, Plans and Policy, Headquarters U.S. European Command; Vice Director, Strategy, Plans and Policy, the Joint Staff; and Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy, J-5, Joint Staff. Prior to his current assignment, the general was the Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force
Gen. Allvin is a command pilot with more than 4,600 hours in over 30 aircraft, including 800 flight test hours and 100 combat hours.
Adm. Lisa Franchetti
Chief of Naval Operations
U.S. Navy
Adm. Lisa Franchetti is a native of Rochester, New York. She received her commission in 1985 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at Northwestern University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. She holds a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix.
Her operational tours include auxiliaries officer and first division officer on USS Shenandoah (AD 44); navigator and jumboization coordinator onboard USS Monongahela (AO 178); operations officer on USS Moosbrugger (DD 980); combat systems officer and chief staff officer for Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2; executive officer of USS Stout (DDG 55); and assistant surface operations officer on USS George Washington Strike Group. She commanded USS Ross (DDG 71) and DESRON-21, embarked on USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). She also served as commander of Pacific Partnership 2010, embarked on USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).
Ashore, Franchetti’s assignments include commander, Naval Reserve Center Central Point, Oregon; aide to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations; protocol officer for the commander, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; 4th Battalion officer at the U.S. Naval Academy; division chief, Joint Concept Development and Experimentation, on the Joint Staff, J7; deputy director of International Engagement and executive assistant to N3/N5 on the Navy staff; and military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy.
Her flag assignments include commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea; commander, Carrier Strike Group 9; commander, Carrier Strike Group 15; chief of staff, Strategy, Plans and Policy (J-5) Joint Staff; commander, U.S. 6th Fleet/commander, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO/deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa; deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development, N7; director for Strategy, Plans and Policy (J-5), Joint Staff; and Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Franchetti assumed the duties as Chief of Naval Operations Nov. 2, 2023.
Her personal awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), Legion of Merit (five awards), Meritorious Service Medal (six awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards).
Gen. Randy George
Chief of Staff of the Army
U.S. Army
General Randy A. George assumed duties as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army on September 21, 2023 after most recently serving as the 38th Vice Chief of Staff of the Army.
George commissioned from the U.S. Military Academy in 1988 as an infantry officer. He served as a lieutenant in the 101st Airborne Division and deployed in support of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Following the Armor Officer Advanced Course in 1993, George was stationed at Fort Carson where he was the assistant operations officer for 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and then commanded C Company and later Headquarters Company in 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment.
George received his Master of Science in Economics in 1999 from Colorado School of Mines and then served at the National Simulation Center in Fort Leavenworth before attending the Command and General Staff College.
In 2001 George went to Italy and served as the executive officer of 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. He was later executive officer and then deputy commander of the brigade, during which time he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Returning to the 101st Airborne Division in 2004, George commanded 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment and deployed a second time to Iraq. He then went to United States Naval War College as an instructor and then student. He deployed again as part of the initiatives group for the commanding general, Multi-National Corps-Iraq in 2007.
In 2008 George returned to the 4th Infantry Division, where he commanded 4th Brigade Combat Team and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Following command, he was a fellow on the Council of Foreign Relations, chief of the strategic policy division for the Pakistan-Afghanistan coordination cell on the Joint Staff, executive officer to the 33rd Vice Chief of Staff of the Army and then executive assistant to the commander of U.S. Central Command. He then returned to Fort Carson as the deputy commanding general (maneuver) of 4th Infantry Division.
After two staff assignments as the director of force management for the Army G-3/5/7 and deputy director for regional operations and force management in the J-3, George took command of the 4th Infantry Division in June 2017. In this role he deployed again to Afghanistan.
George’s most recent command was of I Corps at Joint Base Lewis McChord, after which he served as the senior military assistant to the Secretary of Defense.
He is married to his West Point classmate, Patty. They have two children, Grant and Andrea.
Gen. Chance Saltzman
Chief of Space Operations
U.S. Space Force
Gen. B. Chance Saltzman is the Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force. As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Space Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of all organic and assigned space forces serving in the United States and overseas. As members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Space Operations and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council, and the President.
Gen. Saltzman is a graduate of Boston University and was commissioned in 1991. He has operational experience with missile and space systems, as a Minuteman III launch officer, and as a satellite operator for the National Reconnaissance Office. He also served as the first Chief of Combat Plans for the Joint Space Operations Center, and later, as Chief of Combat Operations.
Gen. Saltzman has commanded at the squadron, group, and wing levels including the 614th Space Operations Squadron and 1st Space Control Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; the 460th Operations Group at Buckley AFB, Colorado; and the Aerospace Data Facility Colorado, Aurora, Colorado. Before serving in his current assignment, Gen. Saltzman was the Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear, United States Space Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
Gen. Christopher J. Mahoney
Assistant Commandant
Marine Corps
General Mahoney is a native of South Weymouth, Massachusetts, and graduated from Holy Cross in June 1987. He completed The Basic School (TBS) and Infantry Officer's Course (IOC), at Quantico, Virginia, in 1988.
After flight training in Florida and Texas and his qualification as an A6-E Intruder pilot, General Mahoney deployed to the Indo-Pacific with VMA (AW)-224, The Bengals. He completed transition training to the F-18 at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro and made multiple deployments with VMFA (AW)-224, VMFA-122 and VMFA (AW)-242 to the Indo-Pacific, Italy, and Iraq, based out of MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, and MCAS Miramar, California. Additionally, General Mahoney served a tour as an instructor at the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-1 (MAWTS-1) at MCAS Yuma, AZ.
He has held command at the squadron, group and wing levels. He completed a Joint Force tour as Chief of Staff of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, and he served as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps (HQMC).
His General Officer duties include Deputy Commander, U.S. Marine Forces Pacific; Director of Strategy and Plans at HQMC; Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces, Japan; Commanding General, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing; and Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources, HQMC.
General Mahoney was sworn in as the 37th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps on November 3, 2023.
General Mahoney is a graduate of the Infantry Officers’ Course, Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI), the Marine Division Tactics Course (MDTC), and the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). He has over 5000 hours of flight time in the A-6, F-5, F-18, and the F-35 and is a qualified Forward Air Controller and parachutist. He attended the Australian Command and Staff College and the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base. He holds Masters Degrees from the University of Canberra, Australia and the Air University with the highest academic distinction.
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Join us virtually in March for this series!
What are the threats, weapons, and technologies shaping the U.S. military’s strategic priorities and tactical considerations in 2024? Defense One explores these questions and more with top leaders from the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Space Force in its fifth annual State of Defense series.
State of the Space Force: March 12 at 2:00 PM ET
State of the Marines: March 19 at 2:00 PM ET
State of the Army: March 22 at 10:00 AM ET
State of the Navy: March 27 at 2:00 PM ET
State of the Air Force: March 28 at 2:00 PM ET
(final schedule subject to change)
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