John L Hudson
Encyclopedia
John L. "Jack" Hudson is a retired Lieutenant General
in the U.S. Air Force
. He was Commander, Aeronautical Systems Center
, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
, Ohio (WPAFB). Hudson is currently serving as a member of the Senior Executive Service as the Director of the National Museum of the United States Air Force
at WPAFB.
state. He was commissioned in 1973 as a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has served as a T-38
instructor pilot; an A-10
pilot, instructor pilot and flight examiner; and as a test pilot at Edwards AFB, Calif. The general has served on the Air Staff and as the director of several Air Force and joint system program offices, as the senior military assistant to the Under Secretary for Defense for Acquisition and Technology, and as Program Executive Officer and Program Director, Joint Strike Fighter Program, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition. Prior assuming the command of ASC, he was Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs.
General Hudson earned the Command Pilot
rating with more than 3,500 flying hours in the A-10, A-7
, T-38 and 42 other types of aircraft.
General Hudson remained at WPAFB after retirement, assuming the newly created position of Deputy Director of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
On 23 December 2010, Hudson assumed the director's position at the museum upon the retirement of his predecessor, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Charles D. Metcalf
.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
in the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. He was Commander, Aeronautical Systems Center
Aeronautical Systems Center
The Aeronautical Systems Center is an Air Force product center that designs, develops and delivers dominant aerospace weapon systems and capabilities for U.S. Air Force, other U.S. military, allied and coalition-partner warfighters, in support of Air Force leadership priorities...
, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...
, Ohio (WPAFB). Hudson is currently serving as a member of the Senior Executive Service as the Director of the National Museum of the United States Air Force
National Museum of the United States Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...
at WPAFB.
Biography
General Hudson was born in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state. He was commissioned in 1973 as a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has served as a T-38
T-38 Talon
The Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
instructor pilot; an A-10
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
pilot, instructor pilot and flight examiner; and as a test pilot at Edwards AFB, Calif. The general has served on the Air Staff and as the director of several Air Force and joint system program offices, as the senior military assistant to the Under Secretary for Defense for Acquisition and Technology, and as Program Executive Officer and Program Director, Joint Strike Fighter Program, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition. Prior assuming the command of ASC, he was Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs.
General Hudson earned the Command Pilot
U.S. Air Force Aeronautical Ratings
U.S. Air Force aeronautical ratings are military aviation skill standards established and awarded by the United States Air Force for commissioned officers participating in "regular and frequent flight", The standard by which flight status has been defined in law, executive orders, and regulations...
rating with more than 3,500 flying hours in the A-10, A-7
A-7 Corsair II
The Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the United States Navy's Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War...
, T-38 and 42 other types of aircraft.
General Hudson remained at WPAFB after retirement, assuming the newly created position of Deputy Director of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
On 23 December 2010, Hudson assumed the director's position at the museum upon the retirement of his predecessor, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Charles D. Metcalf
Charles D. Metcalf
Charles David Metcalf served in the United States Air Force for 36 years, retiring as a Major General. He went on to serve as the Director of the National Museum of the United States Air Force from 1996 to 2010. He is a well known civic leader in the Dayton, Ohio area.-Early life:Metcalf was born...
.
Education
- 1973 Distinguished graduate, Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
- 1974 Master of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics, Purdue UniversityPurdue UniversityPurdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, Lafayette, Ind. - 1982 Distinguished graduate, USAF Test Pilot School, Edwards AFB, Calif.
- 1987 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff CollegeAir Command and Staff CollegeThe Air Command and Staff College is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate professional military education school. It prepares field grade and equivalent officers of all U.S...
, Maxwell AFB, Ala. - 1991 Distinguished graduate, Naval War CollegeNaval War CollegeThe Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
, Newport, R.I. - 1991 Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
- 1993 Master of Science degree in management, Salve Regina UniversitySalve Regina UniversitySalve Regina University is a university in Newport, Rhode Island. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, the university is a Catholic, co-educational, private, non-profit institution chartered by the State of Rhode Island in 1934. In 1947 the university acquired Ochre Court and welcomed its first class...
- 1993 Defense Systems Management College, Fort BelvoirFort BelvoirFort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Originally, it was the site of the Belvoir plantation. Today, Fort Belvoir is home to a number of important United States military organizations...
, Va. - 1997 Executive Program Management Course, Fort Belvoir, Va.
- 1997 Executive Development Program, Cornell UniversityCornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
Assignments
- June 1973 – May 1974, graduate student, Air Force Institute of TechnologyAir Force Institute of TechnologyThe Air Force Institute of Technology is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education that is part of the United States Air Force. It is located on Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. A component of Air University and Air Education and Training Command, AFIT has been...
, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. - June 1974 – June 1975, student, undergraduate pilot training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
- July 1975 – May 1978, T-38 instructor pilot, 90th Flying Training Squadron, Sheppard AFB, Texas
- May 1978 – February 1979, student, T-38 Fighter Lead-in Training, Holloman AFB, N.M., later, student, A-10 Qualification Training, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
- March 1979 – December 1981, A-10 pilot, instructor pilot and flight examiner, 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Royal Air Force Bentwaters, England
- January 1982 – June 1984, student, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot SchoolU.S. Air Force Test Pilot SchoolThe U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School is the Air Force's very advanced flight training school that trains experimental test pilots, flight test engineers, and flight test navigators to carry out tests and evaluations of new aerospace weapon systems and also other aircraft of the U.S. Air Force...
, and A-10 test pilot, A-10 Combined Test Force, Edwards AFB, Calif. - June 1984 – June 1986, A-7 and T-38 instructor test pilot, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards AFB, Calif.
- July 1986 – June 1987, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
- July 1987 – July 1990, program element monitor, F-117F-117 NighthawkThe Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
and Tri-Service Standoff Attack Missile programs, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. - July 1990 – July 1991, student, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
- July 1991 – July 1993, Director of Projects, Tri-Service Standoff Attack Missile System Program Office, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
- July 1993 – July 1994, executive officer to the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
- July 1994 – May 1996, Director, Flight Training System Program Office, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
- May 1996 – June 1997, Director, F-15F-15 EagleThe McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
System Program Office, Robins AFB, Ga. - June 1997 – September 1997, Deputy for Aeronautical Systems, Strategic and Tactical Systems, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
- September 1997 - May 1999, senior military assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
- May 1999 – October 2001, Deputy Director, Joint Strike Fighter Program, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Arlington, Va.
- October 2001 – June 2004, Program Executive Officer and Program Director, Joint Strike Fighter Program, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, Arlington, Va.
- July 2004 – August 2005, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
- August 2005 – October 2009, Commander, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
- October 2009, retirement
Flight Experience
- Rating: Command pilot
- Flight hours: More than 3,500
- Aircraft flown: A-10, A-7, T-38 and 42 other types of aircraft
Awards and decorations
- Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
- Navy Distinguished Service Medal
- Defense Superior Service Medal
- Legion of Merit
- Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
- Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
- Air Force Commendation Medal
Other Achievements
- 2003 Distinguished Engineering Alumnus, Purdue University
- 2003 Outstanding Aerospace Engineer, Purdue University
- 2003 Distinguished Alumnus, USAF Test Pilot School
Promotions
- Second Lieutenant June 6, 1973
- First Lieutenant June 6, 1975
- Captain June 6, 1977
- MajorMajor (United States)In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
August 1, 1984 - Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant Colonel (United States)In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
May 1, 1989 - ColonelColonel (United States)In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
January 1, 1993 - Brigadier GeneralBrigadier general (United States)A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
March 1, 1999 - Major GeneralMajor general (United States)In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
February 1, 2003 - Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General (United States)In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
August 15, 2005