Major General Steven P. Whitney Maj. Gen. Steve Whitney is the Director of Staff, Headquarters, U.S. Space Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In this role, he synchronizes policy, plans, positions, procedures and cross-functional issues for the U.S. Space Force headquarters staff. General Whitney graduated in 1992 from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and completed the university’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program as a distinguished graduate. Through the years, he has served in a wide variety of space system acquisition and operations leadership positions within the Air Force, Space Force, Joint Staff, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and National Reconnaissance Office. His assignments include serving as a crew commander, spacecraft engineer, senior flight commander, director of engineering, squadron commander, senior materiel leader, program director and program executive officer. Prior to his current assignment, Maj. Gen. Whitney was the Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, Washington, D.C. He was responsible for research and development, test, production, product support and modernization of Space Force programs worth more than $27 billion annually. EDUCATION 1992 Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 1997 Squadron Officer School (Distinguished Graduate), Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 2000 Master of Arts, Administrative Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 2004 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence 2005 Master of Science, Systems Engineering (Distinguished Graduate), Air Force Institute of Technology; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 2007 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence 2011 Master of Science, National Security Strategy, National War College, Washington, D.C. 2013 Program Managers Course, Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, VA. 2014 Executive Program Managers Course, Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, Va. ASSIGNMENTS 1. April 1993–July 1996, DSP and DMSP Crew Commander and Chief, DSP Spacecraft Engineering, 1st Space Operations Squadron, Schriever Air Force Base, Colo. 2. July 1996–June 1998, Chief, Commanders Action Group and FDS Operations Manager, SBIRS Program Office, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. 3. June 1998–June 2000, Air Force Intern, Directorate of Space and Nuclear Deterrence, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force and Force Management Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense; Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 4. June 2000–May 2004, Senior Flight Commander and Chief, Production Division; and Director of Engineering; Air Force Communications Support Facility, White Sands Missile Range, Las Cruces, N.M. 5. May 2004–June 2005, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 6. June 2005–May 2008, MILSATCOM Program Element Monitor and Chief, Congressional and Media Affairs, Space Acquisition Directorate, Office of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 7. June 2008–July 2010, Commander, Enterprise Operations Squadron, Mission Operations Directorate, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va. 8. August 2010–June 2011, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 9. June 2011–July 2013, Chief, Space/C4 Branch and Space Lead, Joint Chiefs of Staff (J8), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 10. July 2013–July 2015, Senior Materiel Leader, Global Positioning System User Equipment Division, Global Positioning Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. 11. July 2015–June 2019, Director, Global Positioning Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. 12. October 2018–June 2019, Program Executive Officer for Space Production, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. 13. July 2019–July 2020, Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 14. August 2020–August 2021, Director, Space Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Arlington Va. 15. August 2021–July 2023, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, the Pentagon, Arlington Va. 16. July 7, 2023–present, Director of Staff, Headquarters, U.S. Space Force, the Pentagon, Arlington Va. SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS 1. June 2008–July 2010, Commander, Enterprise Operations Squadron, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va., as a lieutenant colonel 2. June 2011–July 2013, Chief, Space/C4 Branch and Space Lead, Joint Chiefs of Staff (J8), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel and colonel 3. July 2019–July 2020, Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Pentagon, Arlington Va., as a brigadier general MAJOR MILITARY DECORATIONS Air and Space Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster Air and Space Commendation Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Armed Forces Service Medal OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS 1997 Space and Missile Systems Center Company Grade Officer of the Year 1998 Forrest S. McCartney Award for Outstanding Program Management, Air Force Association 2009 National Citation of Honor, Air Force Association 2010 Director’s Circle Award for Leadership, National Reconnaissance Office 2010 Medal for Superior Service (Gold), National Reconnaissance Office 2019 Schriever Fellowship Award, Air Force Association (Current as of July 2024)