Major General, USAF
Jack Briggs

Director of Operations
US Northern Command

OSC '95, Budapest, Hungary

A 1986 graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Maj Gen Jack Briggs serves today as the Director of Operations for Headquarters U.S. Northern Command. Trained throughout his career as an F-111F, F-117A and F-15E pilot, he was first assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing Provisional as a Wing Weapons, Tactics Officer where he flew missions during Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

In 1994, Maj Gen Briggs was selected to become an Olmsted Scholar and became the first Scholar to go to Hungary. There, he attended and earned his Master’s at the Budapest University of Economics, formerly the Karl Marx University of Economics. Here, he experienced firsthand the transition of Hungary to Capitalism and democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union.

“The Olmsted Scholar Program teaches you to not limit yourself by where you come from. It encourages you to understand what makes them, them.”

Following the Olmsted program, he returned to his career as an Assistant Operations Officer and Instructor with the 335th Fighter Squadron, Air Defence Weapons Chief for AIRSOUTH in Naples, Italy and Chief of Safety, 49th Fighter Wing. In 2003, he became the Commander of the 612th Air Base Squadron, Joint Task Force-Bravo in Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras.

After graduating from Air War College, his experience in Europe then continued in 2005 when he was assigned as Chief of Safety, US Air Forces Europe, Germany; Vice Commander, 38th Combat Support Wing, Germany in 2006; Commander, 65th Air Base Wing, Portugal in 2007; and Executive Officer to Supreme Allied Command Europe, Belgium in 2008.

In 2009 Maj Gen Briggs served as the Director of Inspections for the U.S. Air Force then was selected for Brigadier General and deployed to Afghanistan as the Commander of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Air Field in 2010. Following his deployment he served as the Deputy Commander of the Canadian NORAD Region followed by an assignment to Florida in 2013 as the Vice Commander of 1st Air Force.

In 2014, he was selected for promotion to Major General. Today he is Director of Operations, Headquarters U.S. Northern Command, Maj Gen Briggs serves as the principal adviser to the USNORTHCOM Commander on all operational matters, including Land, Maritime, and Homeland Defense Air Operations.

During his time in the Air Force, Maj Gen Briggs flew a total of 3,200 hours, including 225 combat sorties in operations Desert Storm, Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

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