Lieutenant General Derek C. France

Commander, 9th Air Force, USAF Central U.S. Air Force

Lt. Gen. Derek C. France is Commander, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central), Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, and the Combined Forces Air Component Commander for U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia. In these roles, he is responsible for developing contingency plans and conducting air operations in a 21-nation area of responsibility covering Central and Southwest Asia.

Lt. Gen. France received his commission in 1992 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has served as an instructor pilot, weapons officer, weapons school instructor, and as an Instructor Pilot in the Royal Saudi Air Force Fighter Weapons School in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Lt. Gen. France has commanded at the squadron, group, wing and Air Expeditionary Wing levels. He has also served as a National Defense Fellow at the Department of State, the Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, J3, United States Forces Korea, and as the Senior Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Prior to assuming his current assignment, General France was the Commander, Third Air Force, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

EDUCATION

• 1992 Bachelor of Science, Engineering Sciences, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
• 1999 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
• 2003 Air Command and Staff Course, AFB, Ala., by correspondence
• 2006 Naval Command and Staff College, Newport, R.I.
• 2006 Master of Science, National Security and Strategic Studies, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
• 2007 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
• 2011 National Defense Fellowship, U.S. Department of State Senior Seminar, Washington, D.C.

ASSIGNMENTS

1. October 1992–October 1993, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
2. April 1994–November 1994, Student, F-15C Basic Course, 95th Fighter Squadron, 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
3. December 1994–December 1997, Pilot, Instructor Pilot, and Flight Examiner, 54th Fighter Squadron, 3rd Wing, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
4. January 1998–June 1998, Student, USAF Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
5. July 1998–June 2000, Instructor Pilot and Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 71st Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Wing, Langley AFB, Va.
6. July 2000–July 2004, Instructor Pilot, Flight Commander and Operations Officer, F-15C Division/433rd Weapons Squadron, USAF Weapons School, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. August 2004–June 2005, Instructor Pilot and Detachment Commander, Dhahran Detachment, United States Military Training Mission, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
8. July 2005–June 2006, Student, Naval Command and Staff College, Newport, R.I.
9. July 2006–May 2008, Aide-de-Camp to the AETC Commander, Randolph AFB, Texas
10. June 2008–June 2010, Commander, 43d Fighter Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
11. July 2010–July 2011, Student, National Defense Fellow, U.S. Department of State Senior Seminar, Washington, D.C.
12. July 2011–June 2013, Commander, 3rd Operations Group, Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska
13. June 2013–July 2014, Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, J3, United States Forces Korea, United States Army Garrison Yongsan, Republic of Korea
14. July 2014–July 2016, Commander, 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
15. July 2016–July 2017, Senior Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Pentagon,Washington, D.C.
16. July 2017–July 2018, Commander, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates
17. July 2018–June 2020, Deputy Director of Operations, USCENTCOM, MacDill AFB, Fla.
18. June 2020–June 2022, Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration for Headquarters U.S Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa, Ramstein AB, Germany 
19. June 2022–April 2024, Commander, Third Air Force, Ramstein AB, Germany
20. April 2024–present, Commander, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central), and Combined Forces Air Forces Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command
    

FLIGHT INFORMATION

• Rating: Command Pilot Flight
• Hours: Over 2,900
• Aircraft Flown: F-15A-D, F-22A and F-16C

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

• Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
• Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
• Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
• Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters and C device
• Aerial Achievement Medal
• Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
• Air Force Achievement Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

• Second Lieutenant May 27, 1992
• First Lieutenant May 27, 1994
• Captain May 27, 1996
• Major November 1, 2002
• Lieutenant Colonel August 1, 2007
• Colonel September 1, 2011
• Brigadier General September 2, 2017
• Major General August 4, 2020
• Lieutenant General April 18, 2024 (Current as of April 2024)