Maj. Gen. John P. Horner is the Director of Special Programs and the Department of Defense Special Access Program Central Office. He serves as the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Secretary of Defense under the authority, direction, and control of the Deputy Secretary for all programs protected under special access controls in order to acquire and deploy operational and intelligence capabilities to warfighters worldwide. He is dual-hatted as the Acquisition & Sustainment Undersecretary’s Director of Special Programs, providing cognizance of the Acquisition Special Access Program portfolio. He also provides management oversight to the National Assessment Group and Chairs the Low Observable/Counter Low Observable Tri-Service Committee.
General Horner entered service in 1986 as a graduate of the Air Force Academy. His diverse background includes positions in acquisition, operations/plans, intelligence, and command & control. He has commanded at the fighter squadron, warfare group, operations wing, standing joint force headquarters and center levels. He has also served as Deputy Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander at U.S. European Command, Director of Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Capabilities, and Acting Director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
A command pilot with over 4,000 flight hours, predominantly in the A-10 Thunderbolt II, he has deployed and flown combat missions over Iraq, the Balkans, and Afghanistan.
EDUCATION
1986 Bachelor of Aeronautical Science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1991 Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
1997 Master of Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
1998 U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; awarded MMAS
1999 School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.; awarded MAAS
2005 National Security Fellowship, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2007 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Norfolk Naval Base, Va.
2010 Senior Executive Fellowship, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1986 - April 1988, Student, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
2. April 1988 - August 1991, A-10 Pilot/Instructor Pilot, 510th Fighter Squadron, RAF Bentwaters, England.
3. August 1991 - July 1992, Fighter Weapons Instructor, 91st Fighter Squadron, RAF Woodbridge, England.
4. July 1992 - June 1995, Weapons Officer, 81st Fighter Squadron then 52nd Operations Group, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany
5. June 1995 - June 1997, Flight Commander then Assistant Operations Officer, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
6. June 1997 - June 1998, Student, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
7. June 1998 - June 1999, Student, Air Force School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. June 1999 - May 2000, Chief, Air Force Aerospace Strategy Development Branch, The Skunkworks; Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
9. May 2000 - August 2001, Chief of Operations, Chief of Staff of the Air Force's Operations Group then Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
10. August 2001 - April 2002, Special Assistant to the Commander, 355th Operations Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., Chief of Strategy Cell (Forward), Combined Air Operations Center, U.S. Central Air Forces, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, and Air Component Coordination Element Lead, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
11. April 2002 - February 2003, Director of Operations, 358th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
12. February 2003 - July 2004, Commander, 354th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
13. July 2004 - June 2005, National Security Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
14. June 2005 - July 2007, Deputy Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany, and Political Advisor, Joint Task Force-Lebanon, Middle East/Mediterranean region.
15. July 2007 - June 2009, Commander, 505th Distributed Warfare Group, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
16. July 2009 - July 2011, Commander, 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing, Moody AFB, Ga.
17. July 2011 - October 2012, Director of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Capabilities, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. October 2012 – July 2014, Commander, Air Force Recruiting Service, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
19. July 2014 – July 2016, Deputy then Acting Director, Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Commander, Standing Joint Force Headquarters-Elimination/U.S. Strategic Command Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction, Fort Belvoir, Va.
20. July 2016 – present, Director, Special Programs and DoD Special Access Program Central Office, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2005 - July 2007, Deputy Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany, and Political Advisor, Joint Task Force-Lebanon, Middle East/Mediterranean region as a colonel
2. July 2014 – July 2016, Deputy then Acting Director, Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Commander, Standing Joint Force Headquarters-Elimination/U.S. Strategic Command Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction, Fort Belvoir, Va as a major general.
3. July 2016 – present, Director, Special Programs and DoD Special Access Program Central Office, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. as a major general.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Ratings: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,000
Aircraft flown: A-10
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 1986
First Lieutenant May 28, 1988
Captain May 28, 1990
Major Sept. 1, 1997
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2001
Colonel Aug. 1, 2005
Brigadier General July 3, 2011
Major General Oct 2, 2014
(Current as of August 2018)