Lt Gen Joseph Guastella, USAF (ret.)

Lt. Gen. Joseph T. Guastella Jr. was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia. In support of the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force, he led the development and implementation of policy directly supporting global operations, force management, weather, training and readiness across air, space and cyber fields. He served as the Air Force Operations Deputy to the Air Force Chief of Staff.

Lt. Gen. Guastella entered the Air Force in 1987 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours in the F-16 and A-10. He has served multiple combat tours and instructed at the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School. Lt. Gen. Guastella has commanded the 555th Fighter Squadron, “Triple Nickel,” Aviano Air Base, Italy, the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, and the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram, Afghanistan. Prior to his current assignment, Lt. Gen. Guastella was the Commander, Air Forces Central Command, Al Udeid AB, Qatar.

His staff assignments as a general officer include Deputy Director of Strategic Plans and Programs, A8, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va., Deputy Director of Requirements, J8, Joint Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Intelligence, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Casteau Belgium, and Director of Integrated Air, Space, Cyberspace and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Operations, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colorado.

Lt. Gen. Guastella is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College, National War College and the Senior Executive Fellows program.

EDUCATION
1987 Bachelor of Science, Astronautical Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1994 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1997 Master of Science, Aero Science Technology, Embry Riddle University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
2001 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Master of Science, National Security Strategy, National War College, Fort Lesly J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2011 Senior Executive Fellows program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1987–January 1989, Student Pilot, 80th Flying Training Wing, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
2. January 1989–September 1989, F-16 Initial Training, Luke AFB, Ariz.
3. September 1989–May 1992, Squadron Electronic Combat Pilot and Assistant Weapons officer, 526th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
4. May 1992–May 1993, Instructor Pilot, Assistant Flight Commander and Assistant Weapons officer, 35th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan AB, South Korea
5. May 1993–April 1994, Standardization and Evaluation Flight Examiner, 526th TFS, Ramstein AB, Germany
6. April 1994–January 1995, Standardization and Evaluation Flight Examiner, 555th FS, Aviano AB, Italy
7. January 1995–June 1995, Student, Fighter Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. June 1995–December 1996, Squadron Weapons and Tactics Officer and Assistant Wing Weapons Officer, 555th FS, Aviano AB, Italy
9. December 1996–August 2000, Instructor, F-16 Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10. September 2000–June 2001, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
11. June 2001–August 2002, Action Officer, Joint Strike Fighter and Combat Identification Programs, Headquarters Air Force, Directorate of Operational Requirements, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. August 2002–October 2003, Operations Officer, 555th FS, Aviano AB, Italy
13. October 2003–July 2005, Commander, 555th FS, Aviano AB, Italy
14. August 2005–July 2006, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
15. June 2006–June 2007, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, (A3) forward and Combined Air Operations Center Director of Operations, Southwest Asia
16. June 2007–August 2008, Deputy Director Capstone, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
17. August 2008–October 2008, Vice Commander, 20th FW, Shaw AFB, S.C.
18. October 2008–June 2010, Commander, 20th FW, Shaw AFB, S.C.
19. June 2010–July 2011, Chief Program Integration Division, Directorate of Programs, Deputy Chiefs of Staff Strategic Plans and Programs, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
20. July 2011–June 2012, Deputy Director of Programs, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
21. July 2012–July 2013, Commander, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
22. July 2013–July 2015, Deputy Director of Requirements (J8), Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.
23. July 2015–July 2017, Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Intelligence, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Casteau, Belgium
24. July 2017–August 2018, Director of Integrated Air, Space, Cyberspace and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Operations, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
25. August 2018–July 2020, Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, Combined Forces Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia
26. August 2020–present, Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating:  command pilot
Flight hours:  more than 4,000, including more than 1,000 combat
Aircraft flown:  F-16C/D, A-10C

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with two silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters

(Current as of September 2021)