General William Shelton was born in Tulsa Oklahoma February25th 1954. He graduated from Moore High School in 1972 and was accepted to the United States Air Force Academy, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor
of Science in Astronautical Engineering.
He has served in various assignments, including research and development testing, space operations and staff work. He later earned a Master of Science degree in Astronautical Engineering in 1980 from the Air Force Institute of Technology. The general has commanded at the squadron, group, wing and numbered air force levels, and served on the staffs at major command headquarters, Air Force headquarters and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Following his second command tour, Shelton returned to school at the National War College at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, DC. There he earned a Master of Science in national
security strategy, graduating in May 1995.
In November 2000 Shelton moved to assume the role of Director of Requirements at the Headquarters of Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There he was promoted to Brigadier General on
January 1, 2001. He stayed at Air Force Space Command until June 2003 holding various positions including Director of Plans and Programs and Director of Air and Space Operations. Following his tour at Air Force Space Command he moved on to the United States Strategic Command on Offutt AFB in Bellevue, Nebraska, serving as Director of Capability and Resource Integration and Director of Plans and Policy. He was also promoted to Major General on July 1, 2004. In May 2005, Shelton moved to assume command of the 14th Air Force from Vandenberg AFB. In July 2006, he also assumed command of the Joint Functional Component Command for Space, which is attached to the United States Strategic Command. In December 2008, Lt Gen Shelton was appointed Chief of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer (CIO), Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. Prior to commanding Air Force Space Command, General Shelton was the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff and Director, Air Staff, U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Gen. William L. Shelton was the Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. He was responsible for organizing, equipping, training and maintaining mission-ready space and cyberspace forces and capabilities for North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Strategic Command and other combatant commands around the
world. He also commanded all Department of Defense space operations during such internationally significant events as the Chinese antisatellite test and the North Korean Taepo Dong launch. General Shelton oversaw Air Force network operations; managed a global network of satellite command and control, communications, missile warning and space launch facilities; and was responsible for space system development and acquisition. He led more than 42,000 professionals assigned to 134 locations worldwide.
