Department of the United States Air Force LogoBiography
                  United States Air ForceThis is the official portrait of Lt. Gen. James A. Jacobson.EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
                      
                      Second Lieutenant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                May 30, 1990First Lieutenant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 May 30, 1992Captain                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          May 30, 1994Major                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            June 01, 2001Lieutenant Colonel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               May 01, 2005Colonel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          October 08, 2008Brigadier General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                June 05, 2015Major General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    July 13, 2018Lieutenant General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               August 20, 2021
            Lieutenant General JAMES A. JACOBSONLt. Gen. James A. Jacobson is the Deputy Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and the Deputy Theater Air Component Commander to the Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. PACAF is responsible for Air Force activities spread over half the globe. The command supports 46,000 Airmen serving principally in Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam.
Lt. Gen. Jacobson received his commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1990. He has commanded operational units at the squadron, wing, and direct reporting unit levels. He has served on U.S. Africa Command, Air Mobility Command and Headquarters U.S. Air Force Command staffs. Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Director of Training and Readiness, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon.
Lt. Gen. Jacobson is a command pilot with more than 4,100 flying hours in the KC-46, C-17, KC-10A, KC- 135R/T, C-141B, C-12, UH-1N, T-38, T-37B, and T-6. He has flown combat missions in operations Desert Shield, Allied Force and Enduring Freedom.**EDUCATION**
1990 Bachelor of Science, Computer Science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
1996 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2002 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2003 Master of Arts, Leadership, Bellevue University, Omaha, Neb.
2003 U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2005 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2008 National Defense Fellow, Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Washington, D.C.
2010 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.**ASSIGNMENTS**
1. August 1990–October 1991, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
2. November 1991–March 1992, Student, KC-135 Initial Qualification Training, Castle AFB, Calif.
3. April 1992–November 1995, Aircraft Commander, KC-135R, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
4. November 1995–June 1998, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 909th Air Refueling Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan
5. July 1998–July 2001, Flight Commander, Chief of Training, and Group Executive Officer, 13th Airlift Squadron, 6th AS and 305th Operations Group, McGuire AFB, N.J.
6. July 2001–June 2002, Executive Officer to the Commander, 21st Air Force, McGuire AFB, N.J.
7. June 2002–June 2003, Student, United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
8. June 2003–March 2005, Chief, Distributed Mission Operations and Program Element Monitor, Operational Training Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
9. April 2005–July 2007, Commander, 573rd Global Support Squadron, 615th Contingency Response Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
10. July 2007–June 2008, National Defense Fellow, Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Washington, D.C.
11. June 2008–July 2010, Deputy Foreign Policy Advisor, Headquarters U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany
12. July 2010–June 2011, Vice Commander, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
13. June 2011–June 2012, Commander, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyz Republic
14. July 2012–July 2013, Chief, Global Mobility Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning and Programs, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. July 2013–April 2015, Chief Program Integration Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning and Programs and Assistant Secretary of Financial Management and Comptroller, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. May 2015–June 2017, Inspector General, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
17. June 2017–July 2019, Commander, Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
18. July 2019–August 2021, Director of Training and Readiness, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
19. August 2021–present, Deputy Commander, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii**SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS**
1. June 2008–July 2010, Deputy Foreign Policy Advisor, Headquarters U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany, as a colonel**FLIGHT INFORMATION**
Rating:  command pilot
Flight hours:  more than 4,100
Aircraft flown:  KC-46, C-17, KC-10A, KC-135R/T, C-141B, C-12, UH-1N, T-38, T-37B and T-6**MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS**
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Medal
(Current as of September 2023)Department of the Air Force Logo