Brigadier General Jeannie M. Leavitt is the 57th Wing Commander, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. She is responsible for 34 squadrons at 13 installations constituting the Air Force's most diverse flying wing. The wing flies and maintains more than 130 aircraft of the following types: A-10, F-15C/D, F-15E, F-16C/CG/CJ, F-22A, F-35A and HH-60G. The wing also utilizes E-3, RC-135, E-8, B-1, B-2, B-52, C-130, KC-135, C-17, AC-130U and MC-130P aircraft and MQ-1/9 remotely piloted aircraft at 13 stateside bases to support the U.S. Air Force Weapons School syllabus. General Leavitt is responsible for four groups: 57th Adversary Tactics Group, 57th Operations Group, 57th Maintenance Group and the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. In addition, she oversees the 561st Joint Tactics Squadron; U.S. Air Force Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Operations School; U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds; and the RED FLAG and GREEN FLAG exercises.
General Leavitt entered the Air Force in 1992 after earning her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas and her master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University. She earned her commission as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program. General Leavitt has served in a variety of flying, staff and command assignments and has commanded at the flight, squadron and wing level. She is a graduate and former instructor of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School and is a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours. Her operational experiences include Operations SOUTHERN WATCH, NORTHERN WATCH, IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM. Prior to her current assignment she served as the Principal Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Washington D.C.
EDUCATION:
1990 Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
1991 Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University, Stanford, California
1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
1998 Weapons Instructor Course, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nevada
2002 Master of Business Administration, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
2004 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2004 Master’s degree in Military Operational Art and Science, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2007 Air War College, by correspondence
2010 National War College, Fort McNair, Washington D.C.
2010 Master’s degree in National Security Strategy, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington D.C.
2010 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, North Carolina
2012 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
2012 Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. January 1992 – March 1993, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
2. March 1993 – July 1993, T-38 instructor pilot upgrade trainee, Vance AFB, Oklahoma
3. July 1993 – April 1994, student, F-15E Formal Training Course, 555th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Arizona
4. April 1994 – January 1998, instructor pilot, training officer, later Assistant Chief of Weapons, then Assistant Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina
5. January 1998 – July 1998, student, USAF Weapons Instructor Course, F-15E Division, Nellis AFB, Nevada
6. July 1998 – June 2001, F-15E instructor pilot, Assistant Chief then Chief of Weapons and Tactics, later
Flight Commander then Assistant Operations Officer, 391st Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
7. June 2001 – August 2003, F-15E instructor pilot, Wing Standardization and Evaluation Examiner, 57th Operations Group, later Academics Flight Commander then Assistant Operations Officer for Academics, 17th Weapons Squadron, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nevada
8. August 2003 – July 2004, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
9. July 2004 – September 2005, Chief of Special Technical Operations, United States Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul, South Korea
10. September 2005 – April 2007, Chief of Master Air Attack Plans, 609th Combat Plans Squadron, 9th Air Force and United States Central Command Air Forces, Shaw AFB, South Carolina
11. April 2007 – July 2009, Assistant Director of Operations, 334th Fighter Squadron, later Commander, 333d Fighter Squadron, then Special Assistant to the 4th Operations Group Commander, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina
12. July 2009 – June 2010, student, National War College, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. July 2010 – May 2012, CSAF Fellow, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C.
14. June 2012 – June 2014, Commander, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina
15. June 2014 – April 2016, Principal Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington D.C.
16. April 2016 – present, Commander, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, Nevada
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2004 – September 2005, Chief of Special Technical Operations, United States Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul, South Korea, as a major
2. July 2010 – May 2012, CSAF Fellow, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C., as a colonel
3. June 2014 – April 2016, Principal Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington D.C., as a colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION:
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,000, including over 300 combat hours
Aircraft flown: F-15E, T-38A, AT-38B, T-37
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS:
1997 Outstanding Young Texas Exes, University of Texas at Austin
2009 Katherine and Marjorie Stinson Award, National Aeronautic Association
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Second Lieutenant July 1, 1991
First Lieutenant July 1, 1993
Captain July 1, 1995
Major May 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2006
Colonel October 1, 2009
Brigadier General July 3, 2016
(Current as of July 2016)