Air Force Materiel Command by the numbers
Headquarters: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Workforce: About 80,000
Number of employees at Wright-Patt: 13,400
Budget: $60 billion
Number of primary bases: Nine
SOURCE: AFMC public affairs
Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger bio
Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger serves as Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The command employs some 80,000 people and manages $60 billion annually, executing the critical mission of warfighter support through leading-edge science and technology, cradle-to-grave life cycle weapon systems management, world-class developmental test and evaluation, and world-class depot maintenance and supply chain management.
General Wolfenbarger was commissioned in 1980 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, and began her career in acquisition as an engineer at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. She has held a variety of assignments at headquarters Electronic Security Command and Air Force Systems Command.
The general has held several positions in the F-22 System Program Office at Wright-Patterson AFB, served as the F-22 Lead Program Element Monitor at the Pentagon, and was the B-2 System Program Director for the Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. She commanded ASC’s C-17 Systems Group, Mobility Systems Wing. She was the Service’s Director of the Air Force Acquisition Center of Excellence at the Pentagon, then served as Director of the Headquarters AFMC Intelligence and Requirements Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB. She served as AFMC vice commander from December 2009 to September 2011.
Prior to her current assignment, General Wolfenbarger was the Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
EDUCATION
1980 Bachelor of Science degree in engineering sciences, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1983 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
1985 Master of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
1988 Program Management Course, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Va.
1991 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
1994 Master of Science degree in national resource strategy, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2013 Honorary Doctorate, Doctor of Humane Letters, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1980 - August 1981, technical intelligence analyst, Armament Division, Eglin AFB, Fla.
2. August 1981 - July 1983, communication systems development officer, Electronic Security Command, Kelly AFB, Texas
3. July 1983 - December 1984, student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
4. December 1984 - October 1987, Chief, Strategic Offense Weapons Branch, Headquarters Air Force Systems Command, Andrews AFB, Md.
5. October 1987 - September 1988, executive officer, Headquarters Air Force Systems Command, Andrews AFB, Md.
6. September 1988 - July 1993, Chief, Plans and Strategies Division; Chief, Air Vehicle Analysis and Integration Team; and Chief, F-22 Subsystems Team, F-22 System Program Office, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
7. July 1993 - June 1994, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
8. June 1994 - June 1997, Lead F-22 Program Element Monitor, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
9. June 1997 - April 2000, Chief, B-2 Air Vehicle Team, B-2 SPO, ASC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
10. April 2000 - December 2002, B-2 System Program Director, B-2 SPO, ASC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
11. December 2002 - July 2005, Commander, C-17 Systems Group, Mobility Systems Wing, ASC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
12. August 2005 - July 2006, Director, Air Force Acquisition Center of Excellence, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
13. August 2006 - January 2007, Special Assistant for Command Transformation to the Commander, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
14. January 2007 - July 2008, Director, Intelligence and Requirements Directorate, and Special Assistant for Command Transformation to the Commander, Headquarters AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
15. July 2008 - December 2009, Director, Intelligence and Requirements Directorate, Headquarters AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
16. December 2009 - September 2011, Vice Commander, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
17. September 2011 - June 2012, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
18. June 2012 - present, Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with seven oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1996 Kelly Burke Award, Department of the Air Force
2002 and 2004 Stewart Award, Aeronautical Systems Center, Air Force Materiel Command
2013 United Service Organizations (USO) Woman of the Year
2014 James Doolittle Award, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Security Studies Program
2014 Seymour E. and Ruth B. Harris Lecturer, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
2015 Air Force Materiel Command Order of the Sword
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 1980
First Lieutenant May 28, 1982
Captain May 28, 1984
Major Jan. 1, 1990
Lieutenant Colonel June 1, 1993
Colonel Sept. 1, 1998
Brigadier General Feb. 1, 2006
Major General June 26, 2009
Lieutenant General Dec. 3, 2009
General June 5, 2012
(Current as of February 2015)
Lt. Gen. Ellen M. Pawlikowski bio
Lt. Gen. Ellen M. Pawlikowski is the Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. She is responsible for research and development, test, production, and modernization of Air Force programs worth more than $32 billion annually.
General Pawlikowski entered the Air Force in 1978 through the ROTC program at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She then attended the University of California at Berkeley and received a Doctorate in chemical engineering in December 1981, entering active duty at McClellan AFB, Calif., in April 1982.
General Pawlikowski’s career has spanned a wide variety of technical management, leadership and staff positions including command at the wing and center levels. She has served as Director of the Acquisition Management Office for the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Atomic Energy and as Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Counterproliferation, Office of the Secretary of Defense. Her leadership assignments included Program Director of the Airborne Laser Program; Commander of the Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing; Deputy Director of the National Reconnaissance Office; Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory; and most recently Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center.
General Pawlikowski is nationally recognized for her leadership in the US science and technology community. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and an elected member of the National Academy of Engineers.
EDUCATION
1978 Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark
1981 Doctorate of Philosophy in chemical engineering, University of California, Berkeley
1984 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1990 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1991 Program Managers Course, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Va.
1994 Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 1982 - December 1984, Director, Gas Research and Development, Technical Operations Division, McClellan AFB, Calif.
2. December 1984 - March 1986, Chief, Mass Spectrometry and Micro-beam Instruments Branch, Technical Operations Division, McClellan AFB, Calif.
3. March 1986 - December 1987, Command Systems Plans Manager, Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick AFB, Fla.
4. December 1987 - July 1989, Chief, Plans and Programs Division, Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick AFB, Fla.
5. July 1989 - July 1990, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
6. June 1990 - December 1991, Deputy Chief, Special Projects Division, Rome Laboratory, Griffiss AFB, N.Y.
7. December 1991 - July 1993, Senior Executive Officer, Rome Laboratory, Griffiss AFB, N.Y.
8. July 1993 - June 1994, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
9. June 1994 - March 1996, Director, Acquisition Management Office, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Atomic Energy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
10. March 1996 - June 1997, Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Counterproliferation, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
11. June 1997 - June 1999, Chief, Revolutionizing Training Division, Training Systems Product Group, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
12. June 1999 - March 2000, Deputy Director, Global Power Programs, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
13. April 2000 - March 2005, Director, Airborne Laser System Program Office, Aeronautical Systems Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
14. March 2005 - July 2007, Commander, Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
15. July 2007 - May 2008, Vice Commander, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
16. June 2008 - February 2010, Deputy Director, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va.
17. February 2010 - May 2011, Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
18. June 2011 – June 2014, Commander, Space and Missile Systems Center and Program Executive Officer for Space, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
19. June 2014 – present, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1994 - March 1996, Director, Acquisition Management Office, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Atomic Energy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
2. March 1996 - June 1997, Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Counterproliferation, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a colonel
3. March 2005 - July 2007, Commander, Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., as a brigadier general
4. June 2008 - February 2010, Deputy Director, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va., as a major general
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Individual Recognition Ribbon
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1984 Commandant Trophy, Squadron Officers School
1999 Air Force Association Management Award – Executive
2012 Women in Aerospace, Lifetime Achievement Awards
2012 Thomas D. White Space Award
2012 Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
2014 Elected Member, National Academy of Engineering
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 25, 1978
First Lieutenant May 25, 1981
Captain May 25, 1983
Major March 1, 1988
Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 1992
Colonel Oct. 1, 1996
Brigadier General June 1, 2005
Major General July 22, 2008
Lieutenant General June 3, 2011
(Current as of July 2014)
The top general at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will retire later this year as head of the Air Force Materiel Command, the largest employer at Wright-Patterson.
Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger, the first female four-star general in the Air Force and a 1976 Beavercreek High School graduate, oversees the sprawling command headquartered at Wright-Patterson in a time of sharp defense budget cuts under sequestration and a reorganization that consolidated 12 centers into five and cut 1,000 management positions.
Lt. Gen. Ellen M. Pawlikowski, a three-star general and former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson, has been nominated to become the next AFMC leader and gain a fourth star. Today, she serves as the military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition at the Pentagon, a job Wolfenbarger once held.
Wolfenbarger, who earned her fourth star and became AFMC commander in June 2012, was cited among those who know her as a gender-barrier breaking role model and a leader who brought major changes at the command with a workforce of 80,000 military and civilian employees, about 13,400 at Wright-Patterson alone. The command manages a budget of nearly $60 billion which would put it among the largest U.S. companies if it were privately held.
C.D. Moore, an Air Force Academy classmate of Wolfenbarger’s and who retired last year as a three-star general at Wright-Patterson, said Wolfenbarger will be remembered most for her leadership in the reorganization. While at the Pentagon, she spearheaded the changes through the political process and later led the consolidation as AFMC commander.
“There’s no doubt that she’ll be remembered for her vision in seeing that through,” said Moore, Dayton Aerospace, Inc., executive vice president and former commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.
“As the Air Force has been going through (its) internal process of restructuring, (Wolfenbarger’s) been a staunch supporter of this command and the significance it plays,” said Maurice McDonald, Dayton Development Coalition executive vice president of aerospace and defense.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh announced Friday at an Air Force Association symposium in Orlando, Fla., Wolfenbarger will retire. Wolfenbarger was traveling Friday and not available for comment, said Ron Fry, AFMC spokesman at Wright-Patterson.
New commander
The Senate must approve Pawlikowski’s nomination before she becomes the next commander. A date for the transition has not been announced, Fry said.
Loren B. Thompson, a senior defense analyst with the Virginia-based Lexington Institute and a defense industry consultant, has followed the career of Pawlikowski for years.
“Gen. Pawlikowski is considered something of a star in the Air Force,” he said. “A really forceful leader and a very effective manager so AFMC will be in good hands. She seems to be one of the top acquisition experts and weapons buyers in the Pentagon.”
Facing spending caps and a tenuous future of systems such as a new aircraft to train jet pilots and a replacement for airborne radar planes, the new commander “must be a person who can tell the story how the fleet is getting old and they have to modernize at a more vigorous pace,” Thompson said.
“If she and the rest of the Air Force leadership can’t tell a more convincing story about the need to modernize the fleet than the Air Force is going to keep hemorrhaging capability,” he said.
Todd Harrison, a defense fellow with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, D.C., said in an email Pawlikowski “is an expert on military space systems and an excellent choice to lead AFMC.”
‘Not a surprise’
Wolfenbarger, the daughter of an Air Force officer, has broken barriers from the first day of her military career. In 1976, she entered the Air Force Academy with the first class of women to be accepted at the Colorado Springs, Colo., school. She was one of nearly 100 women to graduate in 1980.
Moore, who graduated the same year with the first gender-mixed class of male and female cadets, said Wolfenbarger was a “very, very bright” engineering student. After her academy education, she earned two master’s degrees, including one in astronautics and aeronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“It’s not a surprise to see her rise through the ranks and do as well as she did,” he said Friday.
M.J. Kellenbence, 56, of Colorado Springs and one of the women who graduated alongside Wolfenbarger, said four female cadets in the class of 1980 reached the ranks of general officers.
“We’ve got an ’80s ladies website and we all follow what our classmates are doing,” she said Friday. Wolfenbarger’s history-making position “makes us look good and we’re just proud of what she’s done.”
Deborah Gross, executive director of the Dayton Area Defense Contractors Association, said Wolfenbarger is “very humble,very soft spoken, but clearly a decision maker. I think she’s just the most phenomenal role model for young women but especially in this community being a Beavercreek High School graduate.”
Among other accolades, Beavercreek High School named its campus after Wolfenbarger in 2013.
Once AFMC vice commander, Wolfenbarger has spent more than two decades in different jobs at Wright-Patterson. She had had key roles in the development of the F-22 Raptor fighter, the bat-winged B-2 Spirit bomber and C-17 Globemaster III cargo jet.
“General Wolfenbarger’s leadership has been critical to protecting and strengthening the world-class Air Force Materiel Command at Wright Patterson Air Force Base,” U.S. Rep. Mike Turner. R-Dayton, said in a statement. Turner is chairman of the House Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee.
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