David D. Thompson
David Dean "DT" Thompson (born c. 1963) is a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force, currently serving as vice commander of the United States Space Force and formerly the vice commander of Air Force Space Command.[2][3]
David D. Thompson | |
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Birth name | David Dean Thompson[1] |
Nickname(s) | "DT" |
Born | c. 1963 Ambridge, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Allegiance | |
Service/ | |
Years of service | 1985–present |
Rank | |
Commands held | Vice commander, United States Space Force Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado 45th Operations Group |
Awards | Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal Air Force Commendation Medal Air Force Achievement Medal |
Commissioned in 1985 as a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, he is a career space officer with assignments in operations, research and development, acquisition, and academia.[4] He has commanded operational space units at the squadron, group, and wing levels.
Early life and education
Born and raised in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, Thompson graduated in Ambridge Area High School in 1981.[5] He got his Bachelor of Science, majoring in astronautical engineering, from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado and graduated in 1985. In 1989, he received his graduate degree of Master of Science in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He is also an Olmsted Scholar, graduate of the Senior Acquisition Course and a Level III-Certified Program Manager.
Military career
Thompson was commissioned in May 29, 1985 as a second lieutenant of the U.S. Air Force after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
A month after his commission, he was assigned on July 1985 at the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory at the Edwards Air Force Base, California. For three years after getting his graduate degree, he was an instructor on astronautics in the U.S. Air Force Academy, assigned as the executive officer of the Department of Astronautics of the academy. From 1995 to 1998, he served at Space and Missile Systems Center as program manager.
From July 2015 to July 2017, he served as the Air Force Space Command's then-two-star vice commander. That position was then renamed as AFSPC deputy commander in 2017 with Thomson serving as the special assistant to the AFSPC commander. In 2018, the AFSPC planned to revive the vice commander position, turning it into a position for a three-star general after Congress nixed plans on creating a deputy chief of staff for space operations position.[6] On April 4, 2018, he then assumed the retook his previous position as AFSPOC vice commander, promoting him to a lieutenant general.[7]
With the redesignation of the AFSPC as the newly-created United States Space Force (USSF) on December 20, 2019, Thompson retained his position as vice commander of the USSF.
Awards and decorations
Thompson is the recipient of the following awards:
Effective dates of promotion[8]
Rank | Date |
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May 29, 1985 | |
May 29, 1987 | |
May 29, 1989 | |
August 1, 1996 | |
May 1, 2000 | |
August 1, 2004 | |
June 18, 2010 | |
October 10, 2013 | |
April 4, 2018 |
References
- Polaris (PDF). XXVII. Colorado Springs, Colorado: United States Air Force Academy. 1985. p. 84. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- "LIEUTENANT GENERAL DAVID D. THOMPSON > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display". www.af.mil. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
- Pope, Charles (5 January 2020). "Officials provide details on building the Space Force, its structure, and operating imperatives". US Space Force. Washington DC. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- Schurr, Marjorie A. (June 18, 2019). "Steel foundation: Locally-born general comes home to tell AF story".
- Prose, J.D. (June 15, 2019). "Air Force Lt. Gen. David Thompson, an Ambridge native, tours RMU simulation center".
- "Air Force to create three-star 'vice commander' post to manage space activities". SpaceNews.com. 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
- "Air Force establishes Pentagon-based AFSPC vice commander position". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
- "LIEUTENANT GENERAL DAVID D. THOMPSON > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display". www.af.mil. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
External links
Military offices | ||
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Preceded by ??? |
Vice Commander of the Air Force Space Command July 2015-July 2017 |
Position renamed |
Preceded by ??? |
Special Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Space Command July 2017-April 2018 |
Succeeded by ??? |
New office | Vice Commander of the Air Force Space Command April 4, 2018–December 20, 2019 |
Unit redesignated |
New office | Vice Commander of the United States Space Force December 20, 2019–present |
Incumbent |