Susan J. Helms - Military Career

Military Career

Helms graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1980. She received her commission and was assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, as an F-16 weapons separation engineer with the Air Force Armament Laboratory. In 1982, she became the lead engineer for F-15 weapons separation. In 1984, she was selected to attend graduate school. She received her degree from Stanford University in 1985 and was assigned as an assistant professor of aeronautics at the U.S. Air Force Academy. In 1987, she attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. After completing one year of training as a flight test engineer, Helms was assigned as a USAF Exchange Officer to the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment, at Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake in Alberta, Canada, where she worked as a flight test engineer and project officer on the CF-18 aircraft. She was managing the development of a CF-18 Flight Control System Simulation for the Canadian Forces when selected for the astronaut program.

After a 12-year NASA career that included 211 days in space, Helms returned to the U.S. Air Force in July 2002 to take a position at HQ USAF Space Command. After a stint as the Division Chief of the Space Superiority Division of the Requirements Directorate of Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she served as Vice Commander of the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base near Cape Canaveral, Florida. She then served as Deputy Director of Operations (Technical Training) for Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas. She was promoted to Brigadier General in June 2006 and assumed the duties of Commander of the 45th Space Wing on the same day of her promotion.

Helms was promoted to Major General in August 2009. She served as the Director of Plans and Policy, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. She was directly responsible to the U.S. Strategic Command Commander for the development and implementation of national security policy and guidance; military strategy and guidance; space and weapons employment concepts and policy; and joint doctrine as they apply to the command and the execution of its missions. She was also responsible for the development of the nation's strategic war plan, strategic support plans for theater combatant commanders and contingency planning for the global strike mission.

In January 2011, Helms was promoted to Lieutenant General and assumed duties as Commander, 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), Air Force Space Command and Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space, US Strategic Command

As a flight test engineer, Helms has flown in 30 different types of U.S. and Canadian military aircraft.