# Director of Staff of the United States Air Force

The Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force was a position in the United States Air Force held by a lieutenant general who also served as the director of the Air Staff. The holder of the position oversees the administration and organization of the Air Staff, which develops policies, plans and programs; establishes requirements; and provides resources to support the Air Force's mission. He also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Air Force Council, and is the Air Force accreditation official for the international Corps of Air Attachés.

## List of Assistant Vice Chiefs of Staff of the United States Air Force

The following officers served as Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force:
| No. | Assistant Vice Chief of Staff | Assistant Vice Chief of Staff | Term | Term | Term |
| No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length |
| 1 | | Major General William F. McKee (1906–1987) | 27 Sep 1947 | 23 Apr 1953 | 5 years, 208 days |
| - | | Major General Robert Whitney Burns (1908–1964) Acting | 24 Apr 1953 | 10 May 1953 | 16 days |
| 2 | | Major General Robert Whitney Burns (1908–1964) | 11 May 1953 | 30 Jun 1955 | 2 years, 50 days |
| 3 | | Major General Jacob E. Smart (1909–2006) | 15 Jun 1955 | 4 Sep 1959 | 4 years, 81 days |
| 4 | | Major General Richard M. Montgomery (1911–1987) | 24 Aug 1959 | 31 Aug 1962 | 3 years, 7 days |
| 5 | | Major General John K. Hester (1916–1965) | 1 Aug 1962 | 30 Sep 1964 | 2 years, 60 days |
| 6 | | Major General William K. Martin | 1 Oct 1964 | 18 Feb 1965 | 140 days |
| 7 | | Lieutenant General Hewitt T. Wheless | 19 Feb 1965 | 12 Jul 1968 | 3 years, 144 days |
| 8 | | Lieutenant General Seth J. McKee (1916–2016) | 13 Jul 1968 | 11 Jul 1969 | 363 days |
| - | | Lieutenant General John Wilson Carpenter III (1916–1996) Acting | 12 Jul 1969 | 31 Jul 1969 | 19 days |
| 9 | | Lieutenant General John Wilson Carpenter III (1916–1996) | 1 Aug 1969 | 1 Jul 1970 | 334 days |
| 10 | | Lieutenant General Austin J. Russell | 1 Aug 1970 | 30 Sep 1973 | 3 years, 60 days |
| 11 | | Lieutenant General Duward Crow (1919–1997) | 1 Oct 1973 | 31 Jul 1974 | 303 days |
| 12 | | Lieutenant General Marion L. Boswell (1923–2002) | 1 Aug 1974 | 14 Oct 1976 | 2 years, 74 days |
| 13 | | Lieutenant General William G. Moore Jr. (1920–2012) | 1 Oct 1976 | 3 Mar 1977 | 153 days |
| 14 | | Lieutenant General Wilbur L. Creech (1927–2003) | 2 May 1977 | 28 Feb 1978 | 302 days |
| 15 | | Lieutenant General Howard M. Fish (1923–2020) | 1 Mar 1978 | 31 May 1979 | 1 year, 91 days |
| 16 | | Lieutenant General Marion L. Boswell (1923–2002) | 1 Jun 1979 | 30 Jun 1981 | 2 years, 29 days |
| 17 | | Lieutenant General Hans H. Driessnack (1927–2006) | 1 Jul 1981 | 30 Jun 1983 | 1 year, 364 days |
| 18 | | Lieutenant General Howard W. Leaf (1923–2009) | 1 Jul 1983 | 30 Sep 1984 | 1 year, 91 days |
| 19 | | Lieutenant General Robert H. Reed (1929–2017) | 10 Oct 1984 | 30 Jun 1986 | 1 year, 263 days |
| 20 | | Lieutenant General Carl R. Smith | 1 Jul 1986 | 31 Jan 1991 | 4 years, 214 days |
| 21 | | Lieutenant General Charles A. May | 1 Feb 1991 | 15 Jul 1992 | 1 year, 165 days |
| 22 | | Lieutenant General Thomas G. McInerney (born 1937) | 15 Jul 1992 | 30 Jun 1994 | 1 year, 350 days |
| 23 | | Lieutenant General James A. Fain | 24 Oct 1994 | 1 May 1995 | 189 days |
| 24 | | Lieutenant General Lloyd W. Newton (born 1942) | 3 Jun 1995 | 7 Mar 1997 | 1 year, 277 days |
| 25 | | Lieutenant General David L. Vesely | 17 Mar 1997 | 30 Sep 1999 | 2 years, 197 days |
| 26 | | Lieutenant General William J. Begert (born 1946) | 1 Oct 1999 | 30 Apr 2001 | 1 year, 211 days |
| 27 | | Lieutenant General Lance W. Lord (born 1946) | 1 May 2001 | 31 Mar 2002 | 334 days |
| 28 | | Lieutenant General Joseph P. Wehrle Jr. | 1 Apr 2002 | 30 Sep 2003 | 1 year, 182 days |
| - | | Lieutenant General Richard E. Brown Acting | 1 Jun 2004 | 30 Jul 2004 | 59 days |
| - | | Lieutenant General Kevin P. Chilton (born 1954) Acting | 1 Aug 2004 | 30 Jun 2005 | 333 days |
| 29 | | Lieutenant General Arthur J. Lichte (born 1949) | 1 Jul 2005 | Aug 2007 | ~2 years, 31 days |
| 30 | | Lieutenant General Frank Klotz (born 1950) | Aug 2007 | 24 Jul 2009 | ~1 year, 357 days |
| 31 | | Lieutenant General William L. Shelton (born 1954) | 27 Jul 2009 | 13 Dec 2010 | 1 year, 139 days |
| 32 | | Lieutenant General Richard Y. Newton III | 14 Dec 2010 | 27 Apr 2012 | 1 year, 135 days |
| 33 | | Lieutenant General Frank Gorenc (born 1957) | 27 Apr 2012 | August 2013 | ~1 year, 96 days |
| 34 | | Lieutenant General Stephen L. Hoog | August 2013 | July 2015 | ~1 year, 334 days |
| 35 | | Lieutenant General John W. Hesterman III | July 2015 | August 2016 | ~1 year, 31 days |
| 36 | | Lieutenant General Stayce Harris (born 1959) | August 2016 | November 2017 | ~1 year, 92 days |

## Director of Staff of the Air Force

Lt Gen Stayce Harris became the last to hold the office, but the position of Director of Staff remained.
| No. | Director of Staff | Director of Staff | Term | Term | Term |
| No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length |
| 1 | | Lieutenant General Jacqueline Van Ovost (born 1965) | November 2017 | April 2020 | ~2 years, 152 days |
| 2 | | Lieutenant General Timothy G. Fay | April 2020 | July 6, 2021 | ~1 year, 96 days |
| 3 | | Lieutenant General Kevin B. Schneider | September 8, 2021 | January 30, 2024 | 2 years, 144 days |
| 4 | | Lieutenant General Scott L. Pleus | January 30, 2024 | Incumbent | 251 days |