Lester Lyles

Lester Lyles

General Lester L. Lyles (born April 20, 1946) is a former United States Air Force general, Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, and Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. After retirement from the Air Force in 2003, he became a company director for General Dynamics, DPL Inc., KBR Incorporated, Precision Castparts Corp., MTC Technologies, Battelle Memorial Institute and USAA. Lyles is also a Trustee of Analytic Services and a Managing Partner of Four Seasons Ventures, LLC.

Lyles entered the Air Force in 1968 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program. He served in various assignments, including Program Element Monitor of the Short-Range Attack Missile at Headquarters U.S. Air Force in 1974, and as Special Assistant and Aide-De-Camp to the Commander of Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) in 1978. In 1981 he was assigned to Wright-Patterson AFB as Avionics Division Chief in the F-16 Systems Program Office. He has served as Director of Tactical Aircraft Systems at AFSC headquarters and as Director of the Medium-Launch Vehicles Program and Space-Launch Systems offices.

Lyles became AFSC headquarters' Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Requirements in 1989, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Requirements in 1990. In 1992 he became Vice Commander of Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill AFB, Utah. He served as Commander of the center from 1993 until 1994, then was assigned to command the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., until 1996. Lyles became the Director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in 1996. In May 1999, he was assigned as Vice Chief of Staff at Headquarters U.S. Air Force. He assumed command of Air Force Materiel Command in April 2000. Lyles retired from the Air Force on October 1, 2003.

Lyles was a member of The President's Commission on U.S. Space Policy. He chairs the "Rationale and Goals of the U.S. Civil Space Program" committee of the United States National Academies. In May 2009 he was named a member Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans Committee, an independent review requested by the Office of Science and Technology Policy.