BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN W. HELTZEL

Deputy Commander, Kentucky National Guard

Brigadier General John W. Heltzel is the Deputy Commander, Kentucky National Guard and serves as the Joint Force Land Component Commander upon state activation. In his role as Deputy Commander, General Heltzel serves as an assistant and advisor to the Adjutant General of Kentucky. He is directly responsible for the Joint Force Headquarters contingency planning and execution when called to federal active service or for extended state active duty. General Heltzel is responsible for providing direction to all elements of the Kentucky Army National Guard for developing and executing concepts, policies, plans and programs in the preparation for and execution of assigned and inferred missions. While serving as the Deputy Commander, General Heltzel works to balance the requirements of readiness, modernization, structure and sustainment to ensure the effectiveness of the Kentucky National Guard. During peacetime, General Heltzel assumes the role of chief trainer for the Joint Force Headquarters to ensure operational readiness upon activation and mobilization. He also represents the Adjutant General when requested and performs other duties in direct support of the Adjutant General.

General Heltzel was commissioned through the Eastern Kentucky University Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1979, selecting a commission in the Field Artillery. He was selected in 2001 for the Army War College Senior Fellowship Program at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston. General Heltzel earned the Department of Defense, Chief Information Officer Certificate in 2002 from the National Defense University at Fort McNair, Washington, District of Columbia.

EDUCATION:

1979 Eastern Kentucky University, Bachelor of Arts, Broadcast Communications, Richmond, Kentucky
1988 Kentucky State University, Master of Public Affairs (Management Information System Emphasis), Frankfort, Kentucky
1991 Command and General Staff Officers Course, by correspondence
2001 Senior Service Fellow, U.S. Army War College, Tufts University - Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Medford, Massachusetts
2002 Chief Information Officer Certificate Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, District of Columbia

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. October 1979 - December 1979, Student, Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, Fort Sill, Oklahoma
2. January 1980 - February 1980, Student, Field Artillery Cannon Officers Basic Course, Fort Sill, Oklahoma
3. March 1980 - March 1980, Air Observer, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 138th Field Artillery Brigade, Lexington, Kentucky
4. April 1980 - October 1980, Aide-De-Camp, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, XXIII Corp Artillery, Louisville, Kentucky
5. November 1980 September 1981, Aide, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 149th Separate Armor Brigade, Louisville, Kentucky
6. October 1981 - October 1981, Air Observer, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 138th Field Artillery Brigade, Lexington, Kentucky
7. November 1981 - November 1981, Forward Observer, CAC Headquarters, Frankfort Kentucky
8. November 1981 - November 1981, Forward Observer, Battery A, 1/623rd Field Artillery, Tompkinsville, Kentucky
9. December 1981 - September 1983, Fire Direction Officer, Battery A, 1/623rd Field Artillery, Tompkinsville, Kentucky
10. October 1983 - August 1984, Battery Commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Field Artillery, Lexington, Kentucky
11. September 1984 - August 1987, Battery Commander, Battery A, 2/138th Field Artillery, Carrollton, Kentucky
12. September 1987 - December 1987, S2, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2/138th Field Artillery, Lexington, Kentucky
13. January 1988 - March 1988, Student, Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course, Fort Sill, Oklahoma
14. March 1988 - December 1989, Full Time Support, State Area Command, Kentucky Army National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky
15. January 1990 - July 1990, Director of Information Management, State Area Command, Kentucky Army National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky
16. August 1990 - July 1991, Operations Officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 138th Field Artillery Brigade, Lexington, Kentucky
17. August 1991 - June 1992, Brigade Fire Support Officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2/138th, Field Artillery, Lexington, Kentucky
18. July 1992 - June 1993, Director of Information Management (Full Time Support), State Area Command, Kentucky Army National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky
19. July 1993 - May 1995, Assistant Director of Information Management (Full Time Support), State Area Command, Kentucky Army National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky
20. June 1995 - September 1998, Director of Information Management, State Area Command, Kentucky Army National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky
21. October 1998 - August 2000, Commander, Headquarters, 1/75th Troop Command, Frankfort, Kentucky
22. September 2000 - June 2001, Director of Information Management (Full Time Support), State Area Command, Kentucky Army National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky
23. July 2001 - May 2002, Senior Service Fellow, Army War College, Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Medford, Massachusetts
24. Jun 2002 - August 2004, Regimental Commander, Headquarters 238th Regiment, Greenville, Kentucky
25. September 2004 - March 2006, G6/Director, Joint Force Headquarters, Kentucky National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky
26. April 2006 - Present, Deputy Commander, Joint Force Headquarters, Kentucky National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters)
Army Commendation Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (with Silver Oak Leaf)
National Defense Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star)
Global War on Terrorism Medal
Armed Force Reserve Medal (with Silver Hourglass)
Army Service Ribbon
Kentucky Distinguished Service Medal
Kentucky Merit Ribbon
Kentucky Commendation Ribbon
Kentucky Service Ribbon (with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters)
Kentucky Adjutant General's Staff Identification Badge
Air Assault Badge

CIVILIAN OCCUPATION:

President and managing partner of CyberDefenses, Inc., located in Round Rock, Texas. CyberDefenses is an information technology company specializing in Information Assurance and information management operations. The company completed the first congressionally funded Full Spectrum Integrated Vulnerability Assessment on the nation's core infrastructure and provides a full range of support for the Corp of Engineers managing the PEO-Iraq network and systems. CyberDefenses specializes in information security operations and managed services.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS:

National Guard Association of Kentucky
National Guard Association of the United States

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS:

1988 Honor Graduate, Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course
1989 Governors Communications Advisory Committee
1997 John Hunt Morgan Award Winner
1998 Chairman, NGB Information Management Advisory Committee
2002 Chairman, Commonwealth Office of Technology Strategic Planning Committee

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONS:

Second Lieutenant USAR 12 May 1979
First Lieutenant ARNG 11 May 1982
Captain ARNG 19 October 1984
Major ARNG 20 November 1988
Lieutenant Colonel ARNG 28 June 1995
Colonel ARNG 2 October 2002
Brigadier General (Line) ARNG 26 January 2007

(Current as of March 2008)