Chance Saltzman
Director of Current Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force
U.S. Air Force
Brig. Gen. B. Chance “Salty” Saltzman serves as the Director of Current Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia. The directorate, encompassing five divisions, the Air Force Operations Group and the Air Force Flight Standards Agency, is responsible for policy, guidance, and oversight of Air Force current operations in air, space and cyberspace. The Directorate provides time-sensitive situational awareness and analysis to Air Force senior leaders and links worldwide operations with core Air Force processes to enable global vigilance, reach and power. General Saltzman also leads the Strategic Integration Group charged by the CSAF to implement key Air Force priorities.
General Saltzman is a graduate of Boston University and was commissioned in 1991. He has operational experience with missile and space systems, as a Minuteman III launch officer, and as a satellite operator for the National Reconnaissance Office. General Saltzman also served as the first Chief of Combat Plans for the Joint Space Operations Center and later as Chief of Combat Operations.
General Saltzman has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels including the 614th Space Operations Squadron and the 1st Space Control Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the 460th Operations Group at Buckley AFB, Colorado and the Commander, Aerospace Data Facility Colorado, Aurora, Colorado.
EDUCATION
1991 Bachelor of Arts, history, Boston University, Boston, Mass.
1992 Distinguished Graduate, Undergraduate Missile Training, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
1994 Master of Public Administration, University of Montana
1997 Air Assault School, Fort Belvoir, Va.
1998 Master of Strategic Management, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
1998 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2001 Distinguished Graduate, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2004 Distinguished Graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2005 School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Air War College, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
2009 SDE National Security Fellowship, JFK School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2010 Director of Space Forces Course, National Security Space Institute, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2011 Leadership Enhancement Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2014 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Professional Military Education II, Norfolk, Va.
2017 Continuous Process Improvement for Executives, Institute for Defense Business, Durham N.C.
2017 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2018 Leadership Decision Making Course, JFK School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 1992 – July 1992, Undergraduate Missile Training, Vandenberg AFB Calif.
2. July 1992 – June 1996, Missile Combat Crew, 10th Strategic Missile Squadron and Wing Missile Combat Crew Instructor and Evaluator, 341st Strategic Missile Wing, Malmstrom AFB Mont.
3. July 1996 – May 1998, Air Force Intern, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
4. June 1998 – June 2001, Flight/CC, OD-Four, National Reconnaissance Office, Onizuka Air Station, Calif.
5. July 2001 – June 2003, Instructor, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
6. July 2003 – June 2004, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
7. July 2004 – June 2005, student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. July 2005 – June 2006, Chief, Combat Plans Division, Joint Space Operations Center, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
9. July 2006 – June 2007, Commander, 614th Space Operations Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
10. July 2007 – June 2008, Commander, 1st Space Control Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
11. July 2008 – June 2009, National Security Fellow, JFK School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
12. July 2009 – May 2010, Chief, Strategic Plans and Policy Division, Directorate of Operational Planning, Policy and Strategy, HQ USAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. June 2010 – June 2012, Commander, 460th Operations Group, Buckley AFB, Colo.
14. July 2012 – June 2014, Commander, Aerospace Data Facility – Colorado, Buckley AFB, Colo.
15. June 2014 – February 2015, Deputy Director Plans and Programs, HQ Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
16. Mar 2015 – May 2016, Executive Officer to the Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB Colo.
17. Jun 2016 – May 2017, Director of Future Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, HQ USAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. Jun 2017 – present, Director of Current Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, HQ USAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2005 – June 2006, Chief, Combat Plans Div, Joint Space Operations Center, Vandenberg AFB Calif. as a major
2. July 2006 – June 2008, Chief, Combat Ops Div, Joint Space Operations Center, Vandenberg AFB Calif. as a lieutenant colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star device
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air & Space Campaign Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
NRO Gold Medal
PUBLICATONS
“Minimum Deterrence and Its Critics,” with James Wood Forsyth Jr., Strategic Studies Quarterly, Winter 2010. “Remembrance of Things Past: The Enduring Value of Nuclear Weapons,” with James Wood Forsyth Jr. and Gary Schaub Jr., Strategic Studies Quarterly, Spring 2010.
“Stay Out: Why Intervention Should Not Be America’s Policy,” Strategic Studies Quarterly, Summer 2009.
Introduction to the United States Air Force, with Tom Searle, AFROTC Text (AS200), Airpower Research Institute, 2001.
BADGES AND WEAPON SYSTEMS
Command Space Badge
Missile Operations Badge
Air Assault Badge
Weapon Systems: Minuteman III, Defense Support Program, Space Based Infrared System
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 1991
First Lieutenant Oct. 1993
Captain Oct. 1995
Major Aug. 2002
Lieutenant Colonel March 2006
Colonel Oct. 2009
Brigadier General July 2016