General David Perkins served as the 15th Commander of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) which is responsible for designing, acquiring, building and constantly improving the US Army which is one of the largest and most complex organizations in the world. Under his leadership TRADOC developed the Army’s concept of Multi Domain Operations which has become a driver for future change not only in the US Military, but around the world. He also served as the Chancellor of Army University, one of the largest university systems in the United States. Prior to commanding TRADOC he commanded the United States Army Combined Arms Center where he was the lead for synchronizing leader development across the Army, the management of the Army’s training support and training development enterprises, and the development and integration of the doctrine the Army uses around the world.
 
Previously General Perkins commanded at all levels in the US Army from CPT to Major Army Command at the four-star level. He has multiple combat tours to include commanding a Brigade and later an Infantry Division in Iraq. As a Brigade Commander he led the historical “Thunder Run” into Baghdad that led to the fall of the regime. He also served as the Special Assistant to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon. He has advanced degrees in Mechanical Engineering, National Security and Strategic Studies, and Military Studies.

Commanding General, Air Combat Command

Gen. James M. "Mike" Holmes is the Commander, Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.  As the commander, he is responsible for organizing, training, equipping and maintaining combat-ready forces for rapid deployment and employment while ensuring strategic air defense forces are ready to meet the challenges of peacetime air sovereignty and wartime defense. The command operates more than 1,300 aircraft, 34 wings, 19 bases, and more than 70 operating locations worldwide with 94,000 active-duty and civilian personnel. When mobilized, the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve contribute more than 700 aircraft and 49,000 people to ACC. As the Combat Air Forces lead agent, ACC develops strategy, doctrine, concepts, tactics, and procedures for air- and space-power employment. The command provides conventional and information warfare forces to all unified commands to ensure air, space and information superiority for warfighters and national decision-makers. The command can also be called upon to assist national agencies with intelligence, surveillance and crisis response capabilities.

General Holmes entered the Air Force through Officer Training School in 1981 after receiving a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee. He has commanded the 27th Fighter Squadron, the 14th Operations Group, the 4th Fighter Wing and the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing. He has served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on headquarters staffs of the United States Air Force, U.S. European Command and Pacific Air Forces. Prior to his current position, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 

He is a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours, including more than 500 combat hours in the F-15A/B/C/D/E, and has also flown the T-38, T-37 and T-1A.

EDUCATION 
1981 Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
1986 F-15 Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev. 
1987 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1993 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1993 Master of Arts degree in history, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
1994 Master of Airpower Arts and Sciences degree, School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1995 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va. 
2000 Air War College, by correspondence
2001 Master’s degree in national defense studies, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2006 National Defense Studies Fellow, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, N.Y.
2007 Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 
2010 AFSO21 Executive Leadership Course, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
2011 Coalition Force Maritime Component Commander Course, Naval War College, Bahrain 
2013 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

ASSIGNMENTS 
1. September 1981 - August 1982, student, undergraduate pilot training, Columbus AFB, Miss. 
2. September 1982 - November 1982, student, fighter lead-in training, Holloman AFB, N.M.
3. November 1982 - April 1983, student, F-15 conversion training, Luke AFB, Ariz.
4. May 1983 - December 1985, F-15 instructor pilot and Assistant Squadron and Wing Weapons Officer, 71st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va. 
5. January 1986 - May 1986, student, USAF F-15 Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
6. May 1986 - May 1989, F-15 Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan
7. May 1989 - June 1992, F-15 Chief of Weapons and Tactics, Assistant Chief of Wing Weapons and Tactics, Flight Commander and Assistant Operations Officer, 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron and 9th Fighter Squadron, Holloman AFB, N.M.
8. July 1992 - June 1993, student, Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. July 1993 - June 1994, student, School for Advanced Airpower Studies, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
10. July 1994 - October 1996, Air Operations Officer and Crisis Action Planner, Operations Directorate, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany
11. October 1996 - December 1997, Assistant Operations Officer, 27th Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
12. January 1998 - May 1999, Operations Officer, 71st Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
13. May 1999 - July 2000, Commander, 27th Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
14. July 2000 - July 2001, student, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
15. July 2001 - August 2002, Chief, Strategy, Concepts and Doctrine Division, Directorate of Operational Plans and Joint Matters, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
16. August 2002 - July 2004, Commander, 14th Operations Group, Columbus AFB, Miss.
17. August 2004 - September 2006, Commander, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
18. September 2006 - June 2007, Chief, Checkmate, Directorate of Operational Plans and Joint Matters, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
19. July 2007 - December 2007, Director of Strategic Plans, Programs and International Affairs, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
20. December 2007 - March 2008, Special Assistant to the Director of Operational Planning, Policy and Strategy, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
21. March 2008 - April 2009, Commander, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan
22. April 2009 - July 2009, Special Assistant to the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, and Director, Air Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
23. July 2009 - August 2011, Principal Director for Middle East Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
24. August 2011 - January 2012, Director, Strategic Planning, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington D.C.
25. January 2012 – July 2013, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
26. August 2013 - July 2014 Vice Commander, Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
27. August 2014 - Mar 2017 Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements, Headquarters
U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
28. March 2017 - present, Commander, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS 
1. July 1994 - October 1996, Air Operations Officer and Crisis Action Planner, Operations Directorate, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany, as a major
2. March 2008 - April 2009, Commander, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing and Senior Airfield Authority, Bagram AB, Afghanistan, as a brigadier general
3. July 2009 - August 2011, Principal Director for Middle East Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Office of the Seceretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a brigadier general 

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,000, 
Aircraft flown: F-15A/B/C/D/E, T/AT-38, T-37 and T-1A

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS 
Distinguished Service Medal 
Defense Superior Service Medal 
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster 
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters 
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters 
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster 
Army Commendation Medal

EFFECTIVE  DATES OF PROMOTION 
Second Lieutenant  Aug. 28, 1981
First Lieutenant  Aug. 28, 1983
Captain  Aug. 28, 1985
Major  May 1, 1993
Lieutenant Colonel  Jan. 1, 1998
Colonel  July 1, 2002
Brigadier General  May 2, 2008 
Major General  Jan. 28, 2011
Lieutenant General  Aug. 2, 2013
General  March 10, 2017
 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy & Force Development, United States Department of Defense

Elbridge A. Colby is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development, in which capacity he is responsible for a range of defense strategy, force development, and defense analysis issues. In particular, Colby serves as the Policy lead for the development of the Department's premier strategic planning guidance, the National Defense Strategy, as well as the Defense Planning Guidance and the Defense Planning Scenarios.

Prior to entering government service, Colby was from 2014 to 2017 the Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and from 2010 to 2013 a principal analyst and division lead for global strategic affairs at CNA. Earlier in his career he served for over five years in the U.S. Government at the Department of Defense, Department of State, and in the Intelligence Community working on a range of strategic forces, WMD, and intelligence reform matters, including service with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in 2003. Colby has also served as a staff member for or consultant to a number of government commissions, including the 2014 National Defense Panel, the 2008-2009 Strategic Posture Commission, and the 2004-2005 President’s WMD Commission. 

Colby is the author of many book chapters, reports, and articles on defense and foreign policy issues, and co-edited a volume on Strategic Stability: Contending Interpretations. He has testified before Congress and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Colby is a recipient of the Exceptional Public Service Award from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and of the Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards from the Department of State. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute of Strategic Studies. Colby is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School.

Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, United States Marine Corps

Lieutenant General Walsh was commissioned a Second Lieutenant from the United States Naval Academy in May 1979. After completing The Basic School he was assigned as an infantry platoon commander in 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. He reported to Pensacola, FL for flight training and was designated a Naval Aviator in October 1981. Upon completion of an assignment to VT-26 as a Selectively Retained Graduate and the F- 4 training syllabus he was ordered to VMFA-115 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, SC in November 1983.

While in VMFA-115 he transitioned to the F/A-18 Hornet, attended the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, and made two deployments before assuming duties as a flight instructor at TOPGUN in 1987. He returned to MCAS Beaufort in January 1990 and was assigned to VMFA-251, making two WESTPAC deployments, and was selected as the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Aviator of the Year.

In July 1993, he reported to the 9th Marine Regiment as the Air Officer. He attended the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB before reporting to Headquarters, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany in 1995 where he served in the Plans and Policy Directorate.

In 1998, he returned to MCAS Beaufort for a third tour in Marine Aircraft Group 31 where he served as the Commanding Officer of VMFA-115 and deployed to both the European and Western Pacific Theaters.

He graduated from the National War College in Washington D.C. in June 2002 with a Masters of Science in National Security Strategy. From there he reported to Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, where he served in the Aviation Department. After his Branch head tour, Lieutenant General Walsh returned to MCAS Beaufort as the Commanding Officer of Marine Aircraft Group 31 from June 2004 to May 2006.

Following command, he returned to Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, as the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation. In May 2008, Lieutenant General Walsh became the Commanding General of the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing and deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom 09 as the Commanding General of the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward). In August 2010 he assumed the duties as the Director of Operations, United States Northern Command. In June 2012 he became the Deputy Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command.

In July 2013, Lieutenant General Walsh assumed duties as Director, Expeditionary Warfare Division for the Chief of Naval Operations. In August 2015, Lieutenant General Walsh became the Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command; Commander, Marine Corps Forces Strategic Command, and the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration.

Director, Joint Force Development, J-7

Vice Adm. Kevin Scott is a native of Portsmouth, Virginia, and New York City and was designated a naval aviator in 1984. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, Naval Postgraduate School, U.S. Naval War College and the Joint Forces Staff College.

At sea, he served as aircraft division officer and maintenance test pilot, Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM) 14; aircraft handler aboard USS Inchon (LPH 12) and HM-14 operations officer and detachment officer in charge. He commanded HM-14, commanded Mine Countermeasures Squadron (MCMRON) 1 as commodore and later served as commander, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2.

Ashore, Scott served as air combat placement officer, Bureau of Naval Personnel; operations officer, Commander Tactical Wing Atlantic; military aide to the vice president; current operations chief and division chief, Joint Forces Command; director of aviation officer, Distribution Division (PERS 43), Naval Personnel Command; acting director, Expeditionary Warfare Division, Washington D.C.; deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces, U.S. Central Command and director, Joint Fleet Operations, N3/5, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Suffolk, Virginia.

Scott assumed duty as director for Joint Force Development (J7) on the Joint Staff, Washington D.C, in July 2016. In that position, he oversees the integration of joint training, concept development, operational analysis and lessons learned activities to achieve the chairman’s vision for Joint Force 2020. He most recently served as vice director for Joint Force Development (J7), Suffolk.

Scott has earned various personal, unit, service and campaign awards. He holds a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies.

Chief of Staff, United States Cyber Command

Major General Stephen G. Fogarty, a native of Savannah, Georgia, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in Military Intelligence (MI) in May 1983, after earning his Bachelor of Arts in History at North Georgia College. He also holds a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, and a Master in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. His military education includes Airborne School, the Military Intelligence Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Ranger School, Jumpmaster Course, Combined Arms & Services Staff School, Long Range Surveillance Leaders Course, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College.

MG Fogarty’s command tours include the Long Range Surveillance Detachment, 125th MI Battalion, 25th Infantry Division (Light); the 732nd MI Battalion; the 116th MI Brigade and National Security Agency-Georgia; the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command; and, most recently, the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon.

His Joint and Combined assignments include Chief, Integrated Survey Program, for the United States Special Operations Command; Director, Joint Intelligence Operations Center—Afghanistan; Director of Intelligence, J-2, United States Central Command; and Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, CJ-2, for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan. During his Joint and Combined assignments, he deployed to Afghanistan three times in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM.

His other Army assignments include S2, 2d Battalion, 327 Infantry Regiment, S-3, 311th MI Battalion, Chief, Plans and Exercises, Chief, Analysis and Control Element, and G-2 of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); S-2, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, to include OPERATION JUST CAUSE; S2, 2d Brigade and G2 Operations Officer 25th Infantry Division (Light); and S-2, 75th Ranger Regiment.

His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (2 awards), Defense Superior Service Medal (3 awards), Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal (2 awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (5 awards), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (2 awards), Master Parachutist Badge (w/bronze star), Air Assault Badge, and the Ranger Tab.

Major General Fogarty has been married for the past 34 years to the former Sharon Zelasky of Atlanta, Georgia.

Commander, DEU Elements Multnational Corps and Basic Military Organization, German Army

Lieutenant General Frank Leidenberger has served as Commander, DEU Elements MN Corps and Basic Military Organization at the German Army Headquarters since September 2016.

He is in command of the German elements of the multinational corps and the basic military organization and acts as the primary point of contact in the Army leadership on matters relating to international cooperation, issues of integrated Army development as well as the mission-oriented equipment planning in the German Army, including the specialist tasks of training and organization.

Lieutenant General Leidenberger joined the Bundeswehr in 1977. Following studies in Economics and Organizational Sciences as well as command and general staff officer training, he held special and command assignments at different levels. His positions included commander of an armored reconnaissance battalion, commander of an airborne brigade and Director of the Bundeswehr Office for Defence Planning. Moreover, he served in key positions in national and international headquarters as Assistant Chief of Staff G 3 in the Staff of EUROCORPS, Chief of Staff Specialized Operations Division, and Deputy Chief of Staff Operations Multinational Joint HQ Ulm.

Lieutenant General Leidenberger was repeatedly deployed to the Balkans and to Afghanistan, as Commander Regional Command North in Mazar-e-Sharif and recently as Chief of Staff at the Headquarters Resolute Support in Kabul.