Lt Gen Henry Obering, USAF (ret.)

Lt. Gen. Henry A. “Trey” Obering is Director of the Missile Defense Agency, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C. The MDA is Presidentially-chartered and mandated by Congress to acquire highly effective ballistic missile defense systems for forward-deployed and expeditionary elements of the U.S. armed forces. Additionally, the agency will develop options and, if directed, acquire systems for ballistic missile defense of the United States. As Director, General Obering is the Acquisition Executive for all ballistic missile defense systems and programs.

General Obering, a native of Birmingham, Ala., entered the Air Force in 1973 after completing the University of Notre Dame’s ROTC program as a distinguished graduate. He received his pilot wings in 1975 and flew operational assignments in the F-4E. The general was later assigned to the Space Shuttle program and participated in 15 space shuttle launches as a NASA orbiter project engineer and was responsible for integrating firing room launch operations. Other assignments include tours with the Air Force Inspector General, the Defense Mapping Agency and Electronic Systems Center.

Prior to his assignment at MDA, the general planned and programmed 68 joint, Air Force and international programs with a $28 billion budget as Mission Area Director for Information Dominance on the Air Staff.

EDUCATION
1973 Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering, cum laude, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.
1977 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1980 Master of Science degree in astronautical engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
1984 Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Va.
1988 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 1993 Distinguished graduate, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. December 1973 – January 1975, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Craig AFB, Ala.
2. January 1975 – February 1976, student pilot, F-4E Replacement Training Unit, MacDill AFB, Fla.
3. February 1976 – September 1979, operational F-4E pilot and Chief, Aircraft Maintenance Unit, 68th Tactical Fighter Squadron; also base executive officer, Moody AFB, Ga.
4. September 1979 – September 1980, graduate student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
5. September 1980 – December 1982, Design Manager, Space Shuttle ground support equipment, later, Chief, Space Shuttle Vehicle Integration, 6595th Shuttle Test Group, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
6. December 1982 – July 1984, Project Engineer, NASA Orbiter, Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
7. July 1984 – December 1984, student, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Va.
8. December 1984 – July 1987, Space Shuttle Project Engineer, 6595th Shuttle Test Group, later, Director of Shuttle Engineering, Western Space and Missile Center, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
9. July 1987 – July 1988, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
10. July 1988 – June 1990, Chief, Special Projects Inspections, Systems Acquisition Management Inspection Division, Headquarters Air Force Inspection and Safety Center, Norton AFB, Calif.
11. June 1990 – June 1991, Program Element Monitor, Air Force Medium-Space Launch Vehicles Program and Deputy Chief, Space Systems Division, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C.
12. June 1991 – July 1992, Executive Officer to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C.
13. July 1992 – June 1993, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
14. June 1993 – July 1996, Deputy Director, Acquisition and Technology Group, Defense Mapping Agency, Washington, D.C.
15. July 1996 – April 1997, Program Director for Special Projects, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
16. April 1997 – August 1999, Director, Expeditionary Forces Experiment System Program Office, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
17. August 1999 – December 2001, Mission Area Director for Information Dominance, Office of the Assistant Secretary Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C.
18. December 2001 – July 2003, Deputy for Force Structure Integration and Deployment, and Program Director for Battle Management Command and Control, Missile Defense Agency, Washington, D.C.
19. July 2003 – July 2004, Deputy Director, Missile Defense Agency, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C., and Director, Joint National Integration Center
20. July 2004 – present, Director, Missile Defense Agency, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
National Defense Cross of the Czech Republic

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Top Gun, Air-to-Air, F-4E Replacement Training Unit
Distinguished graduate, flying training, and academic training trophies, Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 75-05

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Dec. 13, 1973
First Lieutenant Dec. 13, 1975
Captain Dec. 10, 1977
Major April 1, 1986
Lieutenant Colonel June 1, 1989
Colonel Feb. 1, 1994
Brigadier General June 1, 2000
Major General Jan. 1, 2004
Lieutenant General Aug. 1, 2004

(Current as of December 2008)