PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – Lt. Gen. Lance Lord pins his fourth star and becomes the 12th commander of Air Force Space Command here, April 19.
Gen. Ed Eberhart, commander AFSPC and commander in chief North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command, will hand over command of the Air Force major command to Lord. Eberhart will remain here as head of NORAD and U.S. Space Command.
The tri-hatted position Eberhart has held since February 2000 is being split as the result of a recommendation made last year by the Department of Defense’s Space Commission.
Lord, a former director of plans and vice commander of AFSPC, is no stranger to the space mission. Much of Lord’s career has been spent in the missile field. His first duty assignment was as a Minuteman II combat crewmember with the 321st Strategic Missile Wing, Grand Forks AFB, N.D. He has also had assignments as a Minuteman II evaluation member and missile operations staff officer. His first command was for the 10th Strategic Missile Squadron at Malmstrom AFB, Mont.
Other command positions include the 90th Missile Wing, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., and the 2nd Air Force at Keesler AFB, Miss.
He has also served in academic positions as commandant of the Squadron Officer School, Maxwell, AFB, Ala., from 1990 to 1992 and commander of Air University at the same base from 1999 to 2001. He comes to AFSPC top post after serving as assistant vice chief of staff of the Air Force.
Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, will preside over the ceremony.
