Quick Facts
Biography
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.
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
James Earl Smith was born in Boise, Idaho, on January 10, 1973. In 1991, he graduated from Meridian High School, during which he worked as a paperboy for the Idaho Statesman.
- 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
Military career
In 2020, Smith was nominated for transfer to the United States Space Force. A year later, he was nominated for promotion to brigadier general.
In April 2024, Smith was nominated for promotion to major general. His nomination was confirmed on May 2, 2024. 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.
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:
 | Command Space Operations Badge |
 | Senior Acquisitions and Financial Management Badge |
| Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge | |
 | Space Staff Badge |
| Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster | |
| Legion of Merit | |
| Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters | |
| Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters | |
| Air Force Commendation Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters | |
| Air Force Achievement Medal | |
| Joint Meritorious Unit Award | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four bronze oak leaf clusters | |
| Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with two bronze oak leaf cluster | |
| National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star | |
| Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one bronze service star | |
| Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal with one bronze service star | |
| Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | |
| Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon | |
| Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon and one bronze oak leaf cluster | |
 | Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold frame and one bronze oak leaf cluster |
| Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and one bronze oak leaf cluster | |
| Air Force Training Ribbon | |
| NATO Medal |
Writings
- Application of Optimization Techniques to the Design and Maintenance of Satellite Constellations (PDF) (M.S.). School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. June 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 2, 2021.
- One Size Fits? All Assessment of the National Space based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Strategy (PDF) (M.S.). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. October 25, 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 2, 2021.
Dates of promotion
| Rank | Branch | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Second Lieutenant | Air Force | May 28, 1997 |
| First Lieutenant | May 28, 1999 | |
| Captain | May 28, 2001 | |
| Major | November 1, 2006 | |
| Lieutenant Colonel | December 1, 2011 | |
| Colonel | May 1, 2016 | |
| Colonel | Space Force | ~September 30, 2020 |
| Brigadier General | July 3, 2022 | |
| Major General | June 21, 2024 |