MAJOR GENERAL EMIL LASSEN

Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Space Command

Major General Emil Lassen is the Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Space Command and also serves as the Director of Air National Guard Forces, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. He serves as the principal advisor on matters affecting Air National Guard forces and assigned personnel. General Lassen keeps the Director, Air National Guard abreast of critical Air Force Space Command issues.

Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in May of 1978, General Lassen was a distinguished graduate of the University of New Mexico Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. He completed undergraduate pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. He began his career flying F-15s at Eglin Air Force base, Florida. From Eglin, he reported to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where he became an F-15 Instructor Pilot. He joined the Colorado Air National Guard in 1986 as an instructor pilot flying the A-7. He served at the flight, squadron, wing, and Joint Force Headquarters level.

The General's assignments include an Air National Guard staff assignment to Headquarters United States Air Forces Europe/Director Operations, Contingency Plans and later as the Air National Guard advisor to the Unites States Air Force Space Battlelab. During his assignment to Headquarters United States Air Forces Europe, General Lassen was responsible for Air Reserve Component deployments in support of Operation NORTHERN WATCH and Bosnian operations as well as Joint Chiefs of Staff exercises to European Command. General Lassen has served two contingency tours in Southwest Asia flying combat missions enforcing the no-fly zones in both Northern and Southern Iraq. He is a command pilot with more than 3000 military flight hours. He has flown the A-7, F-15, F-16, T-37, and T-38 aircraft.

EDUCATION:

1978 University of New Mexico, Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Albuquerque, New Mexico
1997 Air War College, by correspondence

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. March 1979 - March 1980, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi
2. June 1980 - October 1980, Student, F-15, Operational Training Course, 550th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona
3. November 1980 - March 1983, Pilot, F-15, 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida
4. April 1983 - June 1985, Instructor Pilot/Academic Instructor, F-15, 555th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona
5. November 1986 - May 1996, Instructor Pilot/Flight Examiner, F-16, 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Buckley Air National Guard Base, Colorado
6. December 1993 - June1995, D-Flight Commander, F-16, 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Buckley Air National Guard Base, Colorado
7. May 1996 - June 1998, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, F-16, 140th Wing, Buckley Air National Guard Base, Colorado
8. April 1997 - July 1997, Air National Guard Contingency Plans Staff Officer, Air National Guard Plans and Programs, Headquarters United States Air Forces Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
9. July 1998 - October 2004, Director of Operations, Headquarters Colorado Air National Guard, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado
10. July 1998 - July 2001, Air National Guard Advisor to the United States Air Force Space Battlelab, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado
11. November 2004 - March 2006, Director of Staff, Joint Force Headquarters - Colorado, National Guard, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado
12. May 2006 - Present, Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado

FLIGHT INFORMATION:

Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 3000
Aircraft Flown: A-7D/K, F-15A/B/C/D, F-16C/D, T-37, T-38

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Legion of Merit (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal (with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Combat Readiness Medal (with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
National Defense Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Star)
Air Force Overseas Ribbon - Long Tour
Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon (with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon
Colorado Commendation Ribbon
Colorado Active Service Medal (with 2 Bronze Stars)
Colorado The Adjutant General Outstanding Unit Citation
Colorado Foreign Deployment Service Ribbon (with 4 Bronze Stars)

CIVILIAN OCCUPATION:

Flight Operations Management, Operating Standards, United Airlines
Captain, 757/767, United Airlines

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS:

Air Force Association
Red River Rats Fighter Pilot Association (RRVFP)
National Guard Association of the United States
National Guard Association of Colorado

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS:

1992 140th Wing Top Gun
1994 140th Wing Top Gun

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:

Second Lieutenant 23 May 1978
First Lieutenant 23 November 1980
Captain 23 November 1982
Major 7 November 1991
Lieutenant Colonel 12 November 1995
Colonel 30 July 1999
Brigadier General 26 January 2005
Major General 1 March 2007

(Current as of September 2009)