# John P. Jumper

John Phillip Jumper (born February 4, 1945) is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) general, who served as 17th chief of staff of the United States Air Force from September 6, 2001 to September 2, 2005. He retired from the USAF on November 1, 2005. Jumper was succeeded as chief of staff by General T. Michael Moseley.
He is the son of U.S. Air Force Major-General Jimmy J. Jumper. During his career he served as a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours. He later served as the CEO of Leidos from 2012 to 2014.

## Early life

John Jumper was born on February 4, 1945 in Paris, Texas. Jumper has stated that his father general Jimmy Jefferson Jumper enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in World War II "probably for a way to get out of Paris, Texas", became a pilot, and retired as a two star general.
While his father served in the occupation of Japan after World War II, John and his mother once traveled aboard a liberty ship to join his father there. John Jumper's grandfather, Delbert Lee Jumper was a cotton farmer from Paris, Texas and served in the U.S. Navy during World War One. Delbert's brother Samuel Augusta Jumper was also a veteran having served in the U.S. Army. Samuel Jumper was the grandfather of Stephen Franklin Jumper, a U.S. Army soldier who was a purple heart recipient killed in action and whose name is on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.
John went on to earn his commission as a distinguished graduate of Virginia Military Institute's Air Force ROTC program in 1966. He has commanded a fighter squadron, two fighter wings, a Numbered Air Force, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Allied Air Forces Central Europe.

## Education

* 1962 Hampton High School (Hampton, Virginia)
* 1966 Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington
* 1975 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
* 1978 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
* 1979 Master of Business Administration degree, Golden Gate University, San Francisco, California
* 1982 National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.

## Career

By October 1967 he was serving in combat operations in Vietnam. He was assigned to the 459th Tactical Airlift Squadron at Phu Cat Air Base and was part of the unit based in Da Nang. In January 1968 during the Tet Offensive he flew missions into Khe Sanh six days a week. He flew in supplies of whole blood and would fly off before being spotted by the North Vietnamese Army. He also transported supplies to special forces units sometimes up to "six or seven hours" a day in twenty minutes stints. He later served in England from 1970 to 1974.
Prior to becoming Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the general served as commander of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base. Jumper has also served at the Pentagon as deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, as the senior military assistant to two secretaries of defense, and as special assistant to the chief of staff for roles and missions. A command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours, principally in fighter aircraft, Jumper served two tours in Southeast Asia, accumulating more than 1,400 combat hours. Jumper later retired from the Air Force on November 1, 2005.
During the 9/11 terrorist attacks he was stationed at the Pentagon having sworn in as Air Force Chief of Staff just five days earlier. By 9:33 am air traffic control warned that a third high jacked airplane was flying off course. Jumper stated in an interview “We knew instantly we were the likely target.” By 9:37 am the plane struck the opposite side of the building and Jumper stated “James Roche was standing at his desk on the telephone looking out his window. I grabbed him by the collar, and as I pulled him into the hallway, the whole building rattled.” Jumper and his staff retreated to the basement command center of the Pentagon to help ensure continuity of the U.S. Government.
In June 2007 Jumper joined board of directors of Science Applications International Corporation, a federal contractor company. On March 1, 2012 Jumper became SAIC's CEO and was essential in splitting the company into two. After the split Jumper remained the CEO of the company which changed its name to Leidos. Jumper retired as CEO in July 2014, when Roger Krone succeeded him as the company's new CEO, but Jumper stayed on as chairman of the company's board of directors.

## Personal life

Jumper's wife is named Ellen McGhee and they have three daughters Melissa, Catherine, and Janet, all of whom have served in the Air Force.
On November 6, 2022 his daughter Catherine was promoted to brigadier general and Commander of the Virginia National Guard Air Component. John Jumper served as the presiding official over the ceremony.
Jumper has five grandchildren.
Jumper appeared as himself in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Lost City: Part 2" (S07E22).

## Assignments

* June 1966 – July 1967, student pilot, 3550th Pilot Training Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia
* July 1967 – September 1967, C-7 upgrade training, Sewart AFB, Tennessee
* October 1967 – October 1968, C-7 pilot, 459th Tactical Airlift Squadron, Phu Cat Air Base, South Vietnam
* November 1968 – July 1969, F-4 upgrade training, 431st Tactical Fighter Squadron, George AFB, California
* July 1969 – May 1970, instructor pilot, weapons officer and fast forward air controller, 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Udon Royal Thai AFB, Thailand
* June 1970 – July 1974, instructor pilot, flight examiner and standardization and evaluation chief, 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Bentwaters, England
* July 1974 – August 1977, flight instructor, later, flight commander, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
* August 1977 – June 1978, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
* June 1978 – August 1981, staff officer for operations and readiness, Tactical Division, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
* August 1981 – July 1982, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
* July 1982 – February 1983, chief of safety, 474th Tactical Fighter Wing, Nellis AFB, Nevada
* March 1983 – July 1983, commander, 430th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada
* July 1983 – August 1986, special assistant and executive officer to the commander, headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, Virginia
* August 1986 – February 1988, vice commander, later, commander, 33rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida
* February 1988 – May 1990, commander, 57th Fighter Weapons Wing, Nellis AFB, Nevada
* June 1990 – April 1992, deputy director for politico-military affairs, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.
* May 1992 – February 1994, senior military assistant to the secretary of defense, Washington, D.C.
* February 1994 – July 1994, special assistant to the Air Force chief of staff for roles and missions, Washington, D.C.
* August 1994 – June 1996, commander, 9th Air Force and U.S. Central Command Air Forces, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina
* June 1996 – November 1997, deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
* December 1997 – February 2000, commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany
* February 2000 – September 2001, commander, Headquarters ACC, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia
* September 2001 – September 2005, chief of staff, headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

## Flight information

* Rating: Command pilot
* Flight hours: More than 5,000
* Aircraft flown: C-7, C-17, C-20, C-37, T-37, T-38, F-4, F-15, F-16, F-22A and Eurofighter Typhoon.

## Honors

The General John P. Jumper Awards for Excellence in Warfighting Integration is named in his honor.
He is in the Virginia Military Institute Air Force ROTC Hall of Fame
On May 18, 2024 Nellis Air Force Base dedicated its new headquarters building in honor of Jumper. It was named the General John P. Jumper Headquarters Complex. During the ceremony retired Air Force General Lori Robinson stated "Today we are honoring a leader, warrior, mentor and visionary — someone who represents the heart and soul of our Air Force".

## Awards and decorations

* Command Air Force Pilot Badge
* Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
* Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
* Defense Distinguished Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
* Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
* Army Distinguished Service Medal
* Navy Distinguished Service Medal
* Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal
* Defense Superior Service Medal
* Legion of Merit with bronze oak leaf cluster
* Distinguished Flying Cross with two bronze oak leaf clusters
* Meritorious Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
* Air Medal with three silver and one bronze oak leaf cluster
* Air Medal (18th consecutive award of this medal; denotes second ribbon for accouterment spacing)
* Presidential Unit Citation (Air Force) with bronze oak leaf cluster
* Presidential Unit Citation (Navy)
* Joint Meritorious Unit Award
* Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and two bronze oak leaf clusters
* Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster
* Combat Readiness Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
* National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars
* Vietnam Service Medal with silver service star
* Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze service star
* Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
* Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon with bronze oak leaf cluster
* Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon with bronze oak leaf cluster
* Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters
* Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
* Air Force Training Ribbon
* French Legion of Honour, Commandeur Medal
* Military Meritorious Service Medal, Singapore
* Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Award
* SICOFAA Legion of Merit, Officer
* Vietnam Campaign Medal
* 2000 Air Force Order of the Sword, U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE press release)

## Effective dates of promotion

Promotions :
| Rank | Date |
| General | November 17, 1997 |
| Lieutenant General | September 1, 1994 |
| Major General | February 1, 1992 |
| Brigadier General | August 1, 1989 |
| Colonel | October 1, 1985 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | October 1, 1980 |
| Major | January 1, 1978 |
| Captain | June 12, 1969 |
| First Lieutenant | December 12, 1967 |
| Second Lieutenant | June 12, 1966 |

## Tanker Lease Scandal

On June 7, 2005 General Jumper apologized to Senator McCain for internal Air Force emails about the Senator in the context of the tanker lease scandal, calling them "unprofessional and not worthy of a great Air Force."

## Thunderbirds "Thundervision" Scandal

Members of the United States Air Force were under investigation by the FBI for having awarded a $50 million contract for audio-visual presentation services to Strategic Message Solutions of Plymouth Meeting, Pa. The contract involved the "Thundervision" project, meant to provide oversized video screens and perhaps content services during air shows that featured the Air Force Thunderbirds. The investigation revolves around possible involvement of Jumper, and then Chief of Staff of the Air Force T. Michael Moseley.
It was suggested that the contract price was inflated, because a friend of the two generals, Air Force General (ret.) Hal Hornburg, was associated with Strategic Message Solutions. Two companies involved in the bidding process protested award of the contract, one having offered comparable services for half as much. The Air Force later cancelled the contract.