William L. Shelton
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William Lee Shelton (born February 25, 1954) is a former
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
four-star
general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
who last served as the commander of
Air Force Space Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
from January 5, 2011, to August 15, 2014. He had been the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and Air Staff Director. He had served as chief of warfighting integration and chief information officer, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. Shelton held numerous positions of leadership throughout the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
. He retired from the Air Force on September 1, 2014.


Biography


Background and education

Shelton graduated from the
United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and U ...
in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1976 with a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
in
astronautical engineering Astronautics (or cosmonautics) is the theory and practice of travel beyond Earth's atmosphere into outer space. Spaceflight is one of its main applications and space science its overarching field. The term ''astronautics'' (originally ''astronaut ...
. He earned a
Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...
degree in astronautical engineering in 1980 from the
Air Force Institute of Technology The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education for the United States Armed Forces and is part of the United States Air Force. It is in Ohio at Wright-Patterson Air For ...
.


US Air Force officer career

Upon graduation, Shelton was commissioned as a second lieutenant on June 2, 1976. His first assignment was as a launch facilities manager, launch director and technical assistant to the commander from August 1976 to May 1979 at the Space and Missile Test Center,
Vandenberg AFB Vandenberg Space Force Base , previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from th ...
in California. While at Vandenberg, he was promoted to first lieutenant on June 2, 1978. Following his first assignment, Shelton reported to the US Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB,
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. He graduated with a
Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...
in astronautical engineering in December 1980. After graduation, Shelton was assigned to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where he worked as a space shuttle flight controller until July 1985. While in Texas he was promoted to the rank of captain on June 2, 1980, and to the rank of major on May 1, 1985. In July 1985, Shelton moved on to the
Armed Forces Staff College The Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multina ...
in Norfolk, Virginia. Following staff college, he was assigned to work for the deputy chief of staff for operations at
Air Force Space Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
on
Peterson AFB Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the No ...
in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He moved on from Colorado Springs in August 1988 to
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, to work for the
Secretary of the Air Force A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...
in the office of Space Plans and Policy. Promoted to lieutenant colonel on March 1, 1990, he took command of the
2d Space Operations Squadron The 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2 SOPS) is a United States Space Force unit responsible for operating the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation, which provides global navigation, time transfer, and nuclear detonation detectio ...
at Falcon AFB in
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
in August of the same year. After his first command tour, Shelton served as executive officer to the vice commander, Air Force Space Command, for a year beginning in June 1992. He moved on to assume command of the
50th Operations Group The 50th Operations Group was a subordinate unit of the 50th Space Wing, and assigned to Air Force Space Command from 1991-2019. The group, redesignated as Space Delta 8 on 24 Jul 2020 is stationed at Schriever Space Force Base, previously Sch ...
at Falcon AFB from June 1993 to July 1994. While in command he was promoted to
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
on February 1, 1994. Following his second command tour, Shelton returned to school at the National War College at
Fort Lesley J. McNair Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Cha ...
in Washington, D.C. There he earned a
Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...
in national security strategy, graduating in May 1995. Following his War College tour, Shelton served as the deputy program manager and executive assistant for the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program Office, which fell under the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs in Washington, D.C. In 1996, he attended the Program for Senior Officials in National Security at Syracuse University and
Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
. In September 1997 he assumed command of the
90th Space Wing The 90th Missile Wing is a component of Twentieth Air Force, stationed at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base and equipped with LGM-30G Minuteman III Missiles. It has served at Warren as a component of Strategic Air Command, Air Combat Command, A ...
at Francis E. Warren AFB in
Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
. From September 1999 to July 2000 he was again in Washington, D.C., this time as the chief of the Space Superiority Division in the Office of the deputy chief of staff for plans and programs. He followed this assignment by serving from July 2000 to November 2000 as director of manpower and organization in the same office.


Flag assignments

In November 2000 Shelton moved to assume the role of director of requirements at the headquarters of
Air Force Space Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There he was promoted to brigadier general on January 1, 2001. He stayed at Air Force Space Command until June 2003 holding various positions, including director of plans and programs and director of air and space operations. Following his tour at Air Force Space Command, he moved on to the
United States Strategic Command United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USSTRATCOM is responsible for Strategic_nuclear_weapon, ...
on
Offutt AFB Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Air ...
in Bellevue, Nebraska. There he served as director of capability and resource integration and director of plans and policy. He was also promoted to
major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
on July 1, 2004. In May 2005, Shelton moved to assume command of the
14th Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizati ...
from Vandenberg AFB. In July 2006, he also assumed command of the
Joint Functional Component Command for Space United States Space Command (USSPACECOM or SPACECOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Department of Defense, responsible for military operations in outer space, specifically all operations 100 kilometers (62 miles) and grea ...
, which is attached to the
United States Strategic Command United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USSTRATCOM is responsible for Strategic_nuclear_weapon, ...
. The president nominated Shelton for the appointment to lieutenant general with continued assignment as the 14 AF/CC and CDR JFCC SPACE (Ref: 8 November 2007 Senior Leader Announcement, AF/A1). After Senate confirmation, Lt Gen Shelton pinned on his new rank 8 January 2008. Gen
Kevin P. Chilton Kevin Patrick "Chilli" Chilton (born November 3, 1954) is an American mechanical engineer and retired United States Air Force four-star general, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. His last assignment was as commander of U.S. Strategic Command from ...
, CDRUSSTRATCOM, presided; Gen C. Robert Kehler, AFSPC/CC, also spoke during the ceremony held at Vandenberg AFB, California. In December 2008, Lt Gen Shelton was appointed chief of warfighting integration and chief information officer (CIO), Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. On 5 January 2011, Lt General Shelton was promoted to the rank of general and became commander, Air Force Space Command. He has been fulfilling his official assignment at Lask Air Force Base in Poland since 2021.


Badges, awards and decorations


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelton, William L. 1954 births Living people United States Air Force generals United States Air Force Academy alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit Air Force Institute of Technology alumni Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Military personnel from Oklahoma