Kirk W. Smith

Kirk W. Smith
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1989–2024
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands	Special Operations Command Europe 21st Special Operations Squadron
Battles / wars	War in Afghanistan Iraq War
Awards	Defense Superior Service Medal (3) Legion of Merit (3) with "C" device Bronze Star Medal (2)

Kirk William Smith ^[1] is a retired United States Air Force lieutenant general who served as the deputy commander of the United States Africa Command. Prior to that, he was the commander of the Special Operations Command Europe of the United States European Command. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Awards and decorations

	US Air Force Command Pilot Badge
	Basic Parachutist Badge
	United States Africa Command Badge
	Headquarters Air Force Badge

	Defense Superior Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
	Legion of Merit with "C" device and two oak leaf clusters
	Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
	Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
	Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
	Aerial Achievement Medal
	Air Force Commendation Medal
	Joint Meritorious Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters
	Air Force Meritorious Unit Award
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and three bronze oak leaf clusters
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (second ribbon to denote fifth award)
	Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster
	Combat Readiness Medal with three oak leaf clusters
	National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star
	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with service star
	Kosovo Campaign Medal with service star
	Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two service stars
	Iraq Campaign Medal with two service stars
	Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal with service star
	Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
	Armed Forces Service Medal
	Humanitarian Service Medal with two service stars
	Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon with two oak leaf clusters
	Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon with oak leaf cluster
	Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold frame and four oak leaf clusters
	Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters
	Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with service star
	Air Force Training Ribbon
	NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia with three service stars

Effective dates of promotions

Rank [2]	Date
Second Lieutenant	May 31, 1989
First Lieutenant	May 31, 1991
Captain	May 31, 1993
Major	September 1, 2000
Lieutenant Colonel	April 1, 2005
Colonel	September 1, 2009
Brigadier General	December 3, 2014
Major General	July 3, 2018
Lieutenant General	August 4, 2020

References

1. "Class of 1989". United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
2. "Lieutenant General Kirk Smith (USAF)". U.S. Air Force. August 2, 2021. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
3. "Special operations troops in Europe get a new boss".
4. "Special operations troops get a new boss in Stuttgart".

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States government .

Military offices
Preceded by Albert Elton	Director of Strategic Plans, Programs and Requirements of the Air Force Special Operations Command 2014–2016	Succeeded by Sean M. Farrell
Preceded by Stephen A. Clark	Director of Force Management and Development of the United States Special Operations Command 2016–2017	Succeeded by ???
Preceded by Antonio Fletcher	Deputy Commanding General for Operations of NATO Special Operations Component Command and Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan 2017–2018	Succeeded by Otto K. Liller
Preceded by Mark C. Schwartz	Commander of Special Operations Command Europe 2018–2020	Succeeded by David H. Tabor
Preceded by James C. Vechery	Deputy Commander of the United States Africa Command 2020–2024	Succeeded by John W. Brennan