BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES T. DEMAREST
Brig. Gen. James T. Demarest is the Chief of Staff for the Florida Air National Guard, Joint Force Headquarters - Florida National Guard, St. Augustine, Florida. In this position, he is responsible to the Assistant Adjutant General-Air for mission readiness, operations, and coordination of eleven Florida Air National Guard units at seven geographically separated sites, including $137.9 million in operating budgets, 2,000 personnel, and a Headquarters staff of 44 members. He will also serve as the Assistant Adjutant General Air for Strategic Initiatives. In this role he will spearhead efforts to improve and modernize Florida’s air, space, and cyberspace capabilities. Prior to his current assignment, General Demarest served as a Judge Advocate General as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Command Staff Judge Advocate, Air Combat Command.
General Demarest earned his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1982. He completed pilot training and was assigned to fly F-15s at Bitburg Air Base, Germany. He served on active duty for 10 years with assignments as an F-15 Weapons Officer. He joined the Florida Air National Guard as a JAG in January 2009, and served as a Staff Judge Advocate at the wing and state level. On the national level he served as an instructor for the Contemporary Base Issues Course, the ANGs premier seminar for commanders and senior level supervisors, the ANG Assistant to the Command Staff Judge Advocate for United States Air Forces Europe – Air Forces Africa, and Air National Guard Assistant to the Command Staff Judge Advocate, Air Combat Command prior to his current assignment. General Demarest also served as a Chief of Combat Operations at the 601 AOC, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, leading a Combined team executing the NORAD/USNORTHCOM homeland defense mission.
EDUCATION
1982 Bachelor of Science degree, Political Science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1983 Outstanding Graduate, Pilot Training, Reese AFB, Texas
1984 Distinguished Graduate, Lead-In Fighter Training, Holloman AFB, New Mexico
1984 Graduate, F-15 Replacement Training, Luke AFB, Arizona
1985 Wing Electronic Combat Managers Course, Tucson IAP, Arizona
1987 Distinguished Graduate, USAF F-15 Fighter Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nevada
1989 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
1995 Juris Doctor, Cornell Law School, Ithaca, N.Y.
2009 Graduate, Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2013 Air War College, by correspondence
2019 Joint Air and Space Operations Senior Staff Course, Hurlburt Field, Florida
2021 Senior Leader Orientation Course (SLOC)
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1982 - June 1984, Pilot Training at Reese AFB, Texas
2. July 1984 - December 1988, F-15 Electronic Combat Pilot, Instructor Pilot and Weapons Officer, 53rd Fighter Squadron and 36th Fighter Wing, Bitburg AB, Germany
3. January 1989 - June 1992, Weapons Officer, 8th Fighter Squadron and 49th Fighter Wing, Holloman AFB, New Mexico
4. September 1991 - December 1991, F-15 pilot and Chief, Combat Mission Planning Cell, 4404th Wing (Provisional), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
5. January 2009 - May 2012, Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, 125 FW, Jacksonville IAP, Florida
6. May 2012 - July 2014, Staff Judge Advocate, 125 FW, Jacksonville IAP, Florida
7. July 2014 - January 2017, State Judge Advocate, Florida Air National Guard, JFHQ, St. Augustine, Florida
8. January 2017 - June 2018, ANG Assistant to the Command Staff Judge Advocate, United States Air Forces Europe – Air Forces Africa, Ramstein AB, Germany
9. February 2017 - June 2017, Acting Chief of Staff, Florida Air National Guard, JFHQ, St. Augustine, Florida
10. July 2018 - May 2020, – ANG Assistant to the Command Staff Judge Advocate, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia
11. May 2020 - Present, Chief of Staff, HQ FL ANG, St. Augustine, Fla.; dual-hatted, December 2020 - Present, ANG Asst to CC, CONR-1AF, , Fla.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Senior Pilot
Flight hours: More than 2,200
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, A/T-38, F-15A/B/C/D
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Oak Leaf Cluster
Combat Readiness Medal with Two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
National Defense Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal with One Bronze Service Star
CIVILIAN OCCUPATION
Founder of Joint Force Leadership located in Naples, Fla. The company provides leadership training, consulting services, keynote addresses, and execution improvement skills to professional sports teams, Fortune 500 companies, and non-profit organizations to develop leaders at all levels.
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1983 Air Training Command Commanders Trophy, Flying Training Award, Academic Ace, and Distinguished Graduate, Air Force Pilot Training
1983 Daedalian Foundation Orville Wright Achievement Award
1984 Distinguished Graduate, Lead-In Fighter Training
1987 Distinguished Graduate, USAF F-15 Fighter Weapons School
2001 Board Certified Business Litigation Attorney by the Florida Bar
2009 Excellence in Trial Advocacy Award and Robert L. Lowry Award for Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course 09C
2013 Outstanding Graduate from Air War College
2016 Trained and Certified as Operations Floor JAG, 601 AOC, Tyndall AFB, Florida
2016 Trained and Certified as Chief of Combat Operations, 601 AOC, Tyndall AFB, Florida
2017 Gruber Award as the most exceptional ANG judge advocate performer in teaching military law topics during the calendar year 2016.
BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS
Florida Bar:
United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
United States Supreme Court
MILITARY INSTRUCTION:
Instructor, Contemporary Base Issues Course, 2013-2017
Instructor, Annual Survey of the Law, 2011, 2012, 2019
Instructor, Air National Guard Law Office Course, 2018, 2019
Instructor, Training by Reservists in Advocacy and Litigation Skills (TRIALS), 2011-2013
Instructor and Team Chief, Defense Institute of International Legal Studies, 2016
JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL SPECIALIZED EDUCATION:
Homeland Security/Homeland Defense Course 11-A
Trained and Certified as an AOC JAG Crewmember
JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL NATIONAL PROGRAMS:
ANG Assistant to the Command Staff Judge Advocate, ACC, 2018-2020
ANG Assistant to the Command Staff Judge Advocate, USAFE and AFAFRICA, 2017-2018
Member, TJAG ANG Council, 2017-2020
Instructor, Contemporary Base Issues Course, 2013-2017
1st AF Liaison, TJAG ANG Council, 2012-2013
Member, 1 AF DSCA Team, 2011-2013
Instructor, TRAILS Program, 2011- 2013
Member, ARCSTARS2 Weekend Helpdesk, 2011
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 2, 1982
First Lieutenant June 2, 1984
Captain June 2, 1986
Major Jan. 25, 2007
Lieutenant Colonel June 7, 2012
Colonel Dec. 10, 2015
Brigadier General May 3, 2020
(Current as of August 2021)
