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    HomeAbout UsBiographiesDisplay      LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAMES C. “JIM” SLIFEEffective Dates of Promotion
                
                Second Lieutenant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                June 09, 1989First Lieutenant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 October 20, 1991Captain                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          October 20, 1993Major                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            July 01, 1999Lieutenant Colonel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               March 01, 2002Colonel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          March 01, 2006Brigadier General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                July 12, 2013Major General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    May 02, 2016Lieutenant General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               June 29, 2018General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          December 19, 2023Engage OnFacebook PostsYour browser is incompatible with this widget.
                        
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        LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAMES C. “JIM” SLIFEGeneral JAMES C. "JIM" SLIFEGen. Jim Slife serves as the Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia. As Vice Chief, he guides the Air Staff and serves as a member of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council. He assists the Chief of Staff with organizing, training and equipping 689,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas.
Gen. Slife was born outside of Detroit and grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was commissioned through the ROTC program at Auburn University and has spent most of his career in special operations aviation assignments, deploying extensively. Prior to his current assignment, Gen. Slife was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia.**EDUCATION**
1989 Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, Auburn University, Ala.
1995 Master of Aerospace Science, Aeronautics, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
1997 Master of Administrative Science, Organizational Management, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2001 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2001 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2002 School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Joint Forces Staff College, Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Va.
2007 Senior Developmental Education, Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow-Microsoft Corporation, Reston, Va.**ASSIGNMENTS**
1. March 1990–November 1990, Helicopter Student Pilot, 3588th Flying Training Squadron, Fort Rucker, Ala.
2. December 1990–October 1991, UH-1H Instructor Pilot, 3588th FTS, Fort Rucker, Ala.
3. November 1991–June 1992, MH-53J Student Pilot, 1550th Technical Combat Helicopter Training Squadron, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
4. July 1992–July 1995, MH-53J Instructor Pilot, 20th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
5. August 1995–May 1997, Air Force Intern, Office of the Director, Air Force Legislative Liaison and Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations, and the Environment, Arlington, Va.
6. June 1997–August 1997, MH-53J Requalification Student, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
7. September 1997–July 2000, Flight Commander, Assistant Director of Operations and Flight Examiner Pilot, 21st SOS, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
8. August 2000–June 2001, Air Command and Staff College Student, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. July 2001–June 2002, School of Advanced Airpower Studies Student, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
10. June 2002–June 2004, Director of Operations, 20th SOS, Hurlburt Field, Fla. (December 2003–March 2004, Commander, Joint Special Operations Aviation Detachment-Arabian Peninsula)
11. June 2004–February 2006, Commander, 21st SOS, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom (October 2004–February 2005, Commander, Joint Special Operations Aviation Detachment-Arabian Peninsula)
12. February 2006–July 2006, Deputy Commander, 352nd Special Operations Group, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
13. July 2006–June 2007, Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow, Microsoft Corporation, Reston, Va.
14. June 2007–June 2009, Director, Emerging Capabilities Division, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics), Arlington, Va.
15. July 2009–March 2010, Senior Program Analyst, Irregular Warfare Division, Office of the Director, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Washington, D.C.
16. March 2010–June 2011, Commander, 27th SOG, Cannon AFB, N.M. (March 2011–May 2011, Commander, Joint Special Operations Aviation Detachment-Afghanistan)
17. June 2011–July 2013, Commander, 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
18. July 2013–November 2013, Special Assistant to the Commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
19. November 2013–May 2014, Deputy Director, Special Plans Working Group, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
20. May 2014–August 2015, Vice Director, Strategy, Plans and Policy, USCENTCOM, MacDill AFB, Fla.
21. August 2015–June 2017, Chief of Staff, U.N. Command and U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, South Korea
22. June 2017–June 2018, Chief of Staff, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
23. July 2018–June 2019, Vice Commander, Headquarters USSOCOM, Washington, D.C.
24. June 2019–December 2022, Commander, Headquarters AFSOC, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
25. December 2022–December 2023, Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
26. December 2023–present, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.**SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS**
1. June 2007–June 2009, Director, Emerging Capabilities Division, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics), Arlington, Va., as a colonel
2. July 2009–March 2010, Senior Program Analyst, Irregular Warfare Division, Office of the Director, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Washington, D.C., as a colonel
3. November 2013–May 2014, Deputy Director, Special Plans Working Group, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., as a brigadier general
4. May 2014–August 2015, Vice Director, Strategy, Plans and Policy, USCENTCOM, MacDill AFB, Fla., as a brigadier general
5. August 2015–June 2017, Chief of Staff, U.N. Command and U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, South Korea, as a major general
6. June 2017–June 2018, Chief of Staff, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla., as a major general
7. July 2018–June 2019, Vice Commander, Headquarters, SOCOM, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant general**FLIGHT INFORMATION**
Rating:  command pilot
Flight hours:  more than 3,100
Aircraft flown:  MH-53, MQ-1 and others**MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS**
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Combat Action Medal**OTHER AWARDS AND HONORS**
1998 Air Force Special Operations Command Pilot of the Year
2002 Air Force Historical Foundation Writing Award–Best SAAS Thesis, “Creech Blue: General Bill Creech and the reformation of the tactical Air Forces, 1978-1984”
2008 Major General John R. Alison Special Operations Educator of the Year
(Current as of December 2023)
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