Thomas Lawhead

Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy, Integration and Requirements US Air Force

Mr. Thomas J. Lawhead is the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Force Futures, Headquarters, United States Air Force, at the Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia. In this role, Mr. Lawhead serves as the HAF A5, known as Air Force Futures, responsible for developing the Air Force Strategy and concepts, conducting strategic assessments of the operating environment through wargames and workshops, manifesting an integrated future force design, and achieving timely and effective operational capabilities required for tomorrow’s Airmen to fight and win. Prior to his current position, Mr. Lawhead was the Director of Capability Development, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia. He led a team of more than 200 military, civilians and contractor personnel in establishing capability‐based requirements policy and supporting major command requirements and future Air Force modernization programs. These programs include fighters, bomber, mobility aircraft, command and control, munitions, missile defense, cyber as well as a range of future cross‐ domain networked capabilities

Mr. Lawhead entered the Air Force in 1983 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has served in a variety of operations and staff positions throughout his career. He served as an instructor pilot, flight commander, assistant operations officer, operations officer, squadron commander and group commander for various fighter units, as well as staff positions in the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Air Operations Squadron and in the programs division of the Air Staff. He has extensive operational experience as an instructor pilot and evaluator in the F‐16 Fighting Falcon