John E. Hyten


John Earl Hyten is a United States Air Force general who serves as the 11th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has served as Vice Chairman since November 21, 2019.

Early life

Hyten grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, where his father worked on the Saturn V rocket.
He graduated from Grissom High School and attended Harvard University where he studied engineering and applied sciences on an Air Force ROTC scholarship.

Military career

Before assuming command of the United States Strategic Command on 3 November 2016, Hyten commanded Air Force Space Command. On 9 April 2014, Hyten was confirmed by the Senate for promotion to the rank of General and appointment as Commander, Air Force Space Command. On 15 March 2013, it was announced that Hyten had been nominated to be Commander, Fourteenth Air Force and Joint Functional Component Command for Space, U.S. Strategic Command. This would have had him exchanging jobs with the incumbent Lieutenant General Susan J. Helms. However, Helms' nomination was put on hold by Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill resulting in the withdrawal of the nomination and leading to the retirement of Helms.
Hyten's staff assignments include tours with the Air Force Secretariat, the Air Staff, the Joint Staff and the Commander's Action Group at Headquarters Air Force Space Command as Director. He served as mission director in Cheyenne Mountain and was the last active-duty commander of the 6th Space Operations Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. In 2006, he deployed to Southwest Asia as Director of Space Forces for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Hyten commanded the 595th Space Group and the 50th Space Wing at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo. Prior to assuming command of Air Force Space Command, he served as the Vice Commander, Air Force Space Command.
Hyten was nominated for reassignment to head the United States Strategic Command on 8 September 2016. This nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 28 September 2016 after a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Armed Services on 20 September. The change of command ceremony occurred on 3 November.
In November 2017, Hyten stated that if he determines Donald Trump's order for a nuclear strike to be illegal, then "I'm going to say: 'Mr President, that's illegal.' And guess what he's going to do? He's going to say, 'What would be legal?' And we'll come up with options, of a mix of capabilities to respond to whatever the situation is, and that's the way it works."
In April 2019, Hyten was nominated to be Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The U.S. Senate confirmed him on September 26, 2019, by a vote of 75–22. He assumed duties as the Vice Chairman 21 November 2019, making him the second highest-ranking military officer in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Hyten has stated that he hopes to reduce overclassification in the Department of Defense.

Sexual misconduct allegation

In July 2019, an unnamed senior military officer spoke to the Associated Press accusing the general of sexual misconduct in 2017 while she was one of his aides. The officer claimed the unwanted touching and kissing happened during the 2017 Reagan National Defense Forum in California and several times during the year while working as his aide. The officer told the Associated Press: "My life was ruined by this".
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations opened an investigation, which included interviews with fifty-three witnesses and a review of tens of thousands of emails. The investigation found no evidence or information to substantiate the allegations. The court martial convening authority, General Mike Holmes, declined to take any action given the lack of supporting evidence concerning the allegations.
The accuser identified herself as Colonel Kathryn A. Spletstoser, former Director, Commander's Action Group, United States Strategic Command, on July 26, 2019.
On July 30, Hyten appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing for Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, following five closed-door sessions. No members of the committee supported the accusations in the public hearing, with Senator Martha McSally stating that "sexual assault happens in the military. It just didn't happen in this case" and that "the full truth was revealed in this process... General Hyten is innocent of these charges."

Education

Hyten attended Harvard University on an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship, graduated in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in engineering and applied sciences and was commissioned a second lieutenant. Hyten's career includes assignments in a variety of space acquisition and operations positions. He served in senior engineering positions on both Air Force and Army anti-satellite weapon system programs.
BeginEndAssignmentDuty Station
November 1981December 1985Configuration Management Officer and Chief, Configuration Management Division, Automated Systems Program OfficeGunter AFB, Ala.
December 1985July 1989Chief Software Development Branch and Chief, Engineering and Acquisition Division, Space Defense Programs OfficeLos Angeles AFB, Calif.
August 1989July 1990Special Adviser to the U.S. Army, Kinetic Energy Anti-Satellite Program Office, U.S. Army Strategic Defense CommandHuntsville, Ala.
July 1990August 1991Deputy for Engineering, Strategic Defense Initiatives Program OfficeLos Angeles AFB, Calif.
August 1991May 1992Executive Speechwriter and Systems Analyst, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
May 1992July 1993Program Element Monitor, Advanced Technology Programs, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
July 1993June 1994Student, Air Command and Staff CollegeMaxwell AFB, Ala.
July 1994June 1996Mission Director, Space Operations Officer and Chief, Command Center Training, U.S. Space CommandCheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Colo.
August 1996August 1998Commander, 6th Space Operations SquadronOffutt AFB, Neb.
August 1998June 1999National Defense FellowUniversity of Illinois, Champaign
June 1999June 2001Operations Officer, and Chief, Space Branch, Defense and Space Operations Division, Deputy Director for Operations, J3, Joint StaffThe Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
June 2001June 2003Chief, Space Control Division, Directorate for Space Operations and Integration, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space OperationsThe Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
June 2003July 2004Director, Commander's Action Group, Air Force Space CommandPeterson AFB, Colo.
July 2004April 2005Commander, 595th Space GroupSchriever AFB, Colo.
April 2005May 2007Commander, 50th Space WingSchriever AFB, Colo.
May 2006October 2006Director of Space Forces, U.S. Central Command Air ForcesSouthwest Asia
May 2007September 2009Director of Requirements, Air Force Space CommandPeterson AFB, Colo.
September 2009February 2010Director, Cyber and Space Operations, Directorate of Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and RequirementsThe Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
February 2010August 2010Director, Space Acquisition, Office of the Under Secretary of the Air ForceThe Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
September 2010May 2012Director, Space Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for AcquisitionThe Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
May 2012August 2014Vice Commander, Air Force Space CommandPeterson AFB, Colo.
August 201425 October 2016Commander, Air Force Space CommandPeterson AFB, Colo.
3 November 201618 November 2019Commander, United States Strategic CommandOffutt AFB, Neb.
21 November 2019PresentVice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffThe Pentagon, Washington D.C.

Awards and decorations

Hyten is entitled to the following awards and decorations:

Promotions

Other achievements