After retiring, Hyten joined Blue Origin as a strategic advisor.
Early life and education
John Earl Hyten was born on July 18, 1959, in Torrance, California as the eldest of Sherwyn and Barbara Hyten's three children.[1] In 1965, his family moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where his father worked on the Saturn V rocket. He grew up in Huntsville at the height of the Space Race, attending Chaffee Elementary School and Grissom High School, two of the three schools named after the Apollo 1 astronauts who died during a launch rehearsal test.[2][3] In 1977, he graduated from Grissom High School. He wanted to become an astronaut, but because of his poor eyesight, decided to pursue engineering "to get in the space business."[4]
Hyten got accepted into Harvard University, but unable to pay for it, he accepted an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship that required him to serve in the United States Air Force for four years. He graduated from Harvard in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in engineering and applied sciences. After graduating, he commissioned into the Air Force as a second lieutenant, intending to serve only for four years and get out in 1985 to work in the space industry.[5][4]
Hyten was commissioned into the United States Air Force on August 23, 1981, as a second lieutenant. From 1981 to 1985, he was assigned as a configuration management officer, later becoming chief of the Configuration Management Division, for the Automated Systems Program Office at Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama. He then was reassigned to Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, from 1985 to 1989 as chief of the Software Development Branch and, thereafter, as chief of the Engineering and Acquisition Division of the Space Defense Programs Office.[5]
Hyten then returned to Alabama for a year to serve as a special adviser to the U.S. Army's Kinetic Energy Anti-Satellite Program Office. In 1990, he went back to Los Angeles as deputy for engineering at the Strategic Defense Initiatives Program Office. From 1991 to 1993, he was assigned to the Pentagon first as an executive speechwriter and systems analyst and then as program element monitor for Advanced Technology Programs for the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition).[5]
In July 2004, Hyten took command of the 595th Space Group. In April 2005, he took command of the 50th Space Wing. While serving as wing commander, he was deployed to Southwest Asia as director of space forces of the U.S. Central Command Air Forces from May to October 2006. He relinquished command of the wing in May 2007, after which he was assigned as director of requirements of AFSPC.[5]
While serving at AFSPC, Hyten was promoted to brigadier general on October 1, 2007. From 2009 to 2012, he was assigned at the Pentagon. He first served as director of cyber and space operations, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements from 2009 to 2010. In 2010, he was assigned as director of space acquisition at the Office of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, during which time the position was transferred as director of space programs at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition.[5]
In May 2012, Hyten was assigned as vice commander of AFSPC. After this, he commanded AFSPC from August 2014 to October 2016.[5]
His 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.[5] He initially wanted to serve for four years but decided to stay after getting the opportunity to work in the space and missile defense program.[2][4]
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.
On March 15, 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.[6] 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.[7][8] On April 9, 2014, Hyten was confirmed by the Senate for promotion to the rank of General and appointment as Commander, Air Force Space Command.[9] Before assuming command of the United States Strategic Command on November 3, 2016, Hyten commanded Air Force Space Command.[5][1]
Hyten was nominated for reassignment to head the United States Strategic Command on September 8, 2016. This nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 28, 2016 after a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Armed Services on September 20.[10][11] The change of command ceremony occurred on November 3.[12]
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."[13]
Hyten has been a strong proponent for developing advanced hypersonic weapons, saying they would enable "responsive, long-range, strike options against distant, defended, and/or time-critical threats [such as road-mobile missiles] when other forces are unavailable, denied access, or not preferred.” [14]
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Hyten is sworn in as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on November 18, 2019.
In April 2019, Hyten was nominated to be Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[15] The U.S. Senate confirmed him on September 26, 2019, by a vote of 75–22.[16][17][18][19][20] He assumed duties as the Vice Chairman on November 21, 2019, making him the second highest-ranking military officer in the U.S. Armed Forces. From February 2, 2019, Hyten also served as the senior designated official of the Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Cross Functional Team.[21]
Hyten has stated that he hopes to reduce overclassification in the Department of Defense.[22]
It was announced that by the year of 2021 Hyten is expected to retire and would not seek a second-term as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[23][24] With the absence of a selected nominee to succeed Hyten, Department of Defense officials stated in October 2021 that Hyten would delegate his duties to senior officials on the Joint Staff if a nominee was not confirmed by his retirement date in November.[25]U.S. Navy Adm. Christopher Grady succeeded Hyten as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff upon the confirmation of his nomination to the post by the U.S. Senate on December 16, 2021.[26]
Hyten retired from active duty on November 19, 2021.[27]
Sexual misconduct allegation
General Hyten testifies at his Senate nomination hearing to be vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, July 30, 2019.
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".[28]
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.[29]
The accuser identified herself as Colonel Kathryn A. Spletstoser, former Director, Commander's Action Group, United States Strategic Command, on July 26, 2019.[30]
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."[31] July 2023 Army Col. Kathryn Spletstoser settlement reached in U.S. District Court in California on Wednesday, the federal government will pay her $975,000 as reported in USNEWS https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2023-07-13/army-colonel-gets-975-000-in-sex-assault-case-against-former-joint-chiefs-vice-chairman
Civilian career
On June 15, 2022, Blue Origin announced that Hyten will join the company as strategic advisor and executive director for Club for Future and .[32] In March 2023, he was appointed as special advisor to Thomas Siebel, the chief executive officer of C3.ai, after joining the company's advisory board in June 2022.[33]
Richard Bowman Myers is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force who served as the 15th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As chairman, Myers was the highest ranking uniformed officer of the United States military forces. He also served as the 14th president of Kansas State University from 2016 to 2022.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the National Security Council on military matters. The composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is defined by statute and consists of a chairman (CJCS), a vice chairman (VJCS), the chiefs of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau. Each of the individual service chiefs, outside their JCS obligations, works directly under the secretaries of their respective military departments, e.g. the secretary of the Army, the secretary of the Navy, and the secretary of the Air Force.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces and the principal military advisor to the president, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the secretary of defense. While the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outranks all other commissioned officers, the chairman is prohibited by law from having operational command authority over the armed forces; however, the chairman assists the president and the secretary of defense in exercising their command functions.
Kevin Patrick "Chilli" Chilton is an American mechanical engineer and retired United States Air Force four-star general, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. His last assignment was as commander of U.S. Strategic Command from October 3, 2007, to January 28, 2011. Prior to his appointment to general officer ranks, Chilton spent 11 years of his military career as a NASA astronaut. He retired from the Air Force on February 1, 2011, after having achieved the highest rank of any military astronaut. On January 30, 2012, General Chilton was named to the board of directors of Orbital Sciences Corporation.
General Larry D. Welch is a retired United States Air Force four-star general who served as the 12th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As Chief of Staff, he served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of a combined active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian force serving at locations in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he and the other service chiefs functioned as the principal military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Nuclear Weapon Surety Task Force for the Defense Science Board.
William Lee Shelton is a former United States Air Force four-star general who last served as the commander of Air Force Space Command from January 5, 2011, to August 15, 2014. He had been the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and Air Staff Director. He had served as chief of warfighting integration and chief information officer, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. Shelton held numerous positions of leadership throughout the United States Air Force. He retired from the Air Force on September 1, 2014.
General Howell M. Estes III served as commander in chief in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the United States Space Command (USSC), and served as commander in the Air Force Space Command (AFSC), headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. As commander, the general was responsible for the air sovereignty of the United States and Canada, providing tactical warning and attack assessment, directing space control and support operations, directing satellite control, warning, space launch and ballistic missile operations missions.
Richard E. Webber is a retired United States Air Force major general. He was the first commander of the Twenty-Fourth Air Force, which is focused on cyberspace operations. The Twenty-Fourth Air Force is located in San Antonio, Texas, and stood up in place of the originally proposed larger Major Command organization, Air Force Cyber Command. Webber graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1975 and has worked in the space and missile career field.
John William Raymond is a retired United States Space Force general who served as the first chief of space operations from 2019 to 2022. The first guardian, he served as commander of the United States Space Command from 2019 to 2020.
Larry Oneil Spencer is a retired United States Air Force general who served in many command, comptroller, and leadership roles during the course of his career. Some of his leadership roles included being the Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, commander of the 75th Air Base Wing at Hill AFB, commander of the 72nd Support Group at Tinker AFB, and the commander of the 4th Comptroller Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB. He retired 1 October 2015 after more than 44 years of service. He received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit.
Paul Joseph Selva is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the tenth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he was the nation's second-highest-ranking military officer, and the highest-ranking officer in the Air Force. He assumed his last assignment on July 31, 2015, and retired on August 1, 2019. Selva is a command pilot with more than 3,100 hours in the C-5, C-17A, C-141B, C-37, KC-10, KC-135A and T-37.
Gina Marie Grosso is an American defense official and retired United States Air Force lieutenant general who is the Assistant Secretary of Veteran Affairs for Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security and Preparedness since June 23, 2021. In the Air Force, Grosso last served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services (A1), Headquarters U.S. Air Force from October 2015 to October 2018.
Joseph Thomas Guastella Jr. is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force who served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the United States Air Force. He was commissioned upon his graduation from the United States Air Force Academy in 1987.
Charles Anthony "Chas" Richard is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the 11th commander of United States Strategic Command. He previously served as Commander Submarine Forces, Submarine Force Atlantic and Allied Submarine Command.
David Dean Thompson is a United States Space Force general who has served as the first vice chief of space operations since 2020. He previously served as the vice commander of the Space Force from 2018 to 2020.
Bradley Chance Saltzman is a United States Space Force general who is the second and current chief of space operations. He served as the deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber, and nuclear from 2020 to 2022. He is the first lieutenant general and the first general officer promoted into the Space Force.
Douglas Andrew Schiess is a United States Space Force major general who serves as the commander of Combined Force Space Component Command and vice commander of Space Operations Command. He previously served as the deputy commanding general (operations) of the Space Operations Command. He has also commanded the 45th Space Wing, the 21st Space Wing, the 45th Operations Group, and the 4th Space Operations Squadron of the U.S. Air Force. In July 2021, Schiess was nominated for transfer to the United States Space Force and promotion to major general. Schiess transferred from the Air Force to the Space Force on April 28, 2022.
David Wayne Allvin is a United States Air Force four-star general who currently serves as the 40th vice chief of staff of the Air Force. He previously served as the director for strategy, plans, and policy, J-5, on the Joint Staff, and is a senior member, United States Delegation to the United Nations Military Staff Committee, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He provided strategic direction, policy guidance and planning focus to develop and execute the National Military Strategy. As the director for strategy, plans, and policy, he enables the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to provide military advice to the president, the secretary of defense, and the National Security Council. He has assumed the office of vice chief of staff on November 16, 2020.
Lieutenant General Salvatore A. "Sam" Angelella is a retired United States Air Force officer who last served as commander, United States Forces Japan and commander, 5th Air Force from July 2012 to August 2015. During that assignment, Angelella was the senior United States military representative in Japan and commander of United States Air Force units in Japan.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
