MR. LEONARD G. LITTON, III

Principal Director

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Mr. Leonard Litton currently serves as the Principal Director for Military Personnel Policy. In this position he provides leadership and oversight for human resource policies impacting the sustainment of the all-volunteer-force for the Department of Defense. Previously, Mr. Litton served as the Director for Personnel Policy and Strategy for the emergent Space Force crafting personnel policies and processes to establish the newest military Service. Mr. Litton has also served as Director, Defense Policy and Strategy on the National Security Council staff, Executive Office of the President, The White House where he developed policy options for the National Security Advisor and the President. His portfolio included personnel, military readiness, veterans, and military family issues. Prior to that assignment he served as the Director of Personnel Risk Reduction directing a portfolio including policy and operational assessment of operational safety issues, drug abuse, and wellness. He also served as the Executive Director of the Defense Safety Oversight Council (DSOC).

Mr. Litton attended The Citadel as the recipient of the Charles P. Summerall memorial scholarship. He majored in mathematics, graduating in 1985 Cum Laude and as a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force ROTC program. Following graduation, he accepted a regular commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi.

Mr. Litton served twenty-five years on active duty in the United States Air Force retiring as a Colonel in 2010. During his career he had extensive experience in fighter, bomber, and trainer flight operations. His assignments included operational tours in Europe, nuclear operations, command, and headquarters staff assignments. Career highlights include serving as Assistant Deputy Director for Capability Based Planning; Commander, 25th Flying Training Squadron; Deputy Division Chief, Nuclear Operations, C2, and Arms Control Division; and serving as the first Deputy Commander of the 325th Bomb Squadron, where he was responsible for the combat employment of one of America’s two operational B-2 Stealth Bomber squadrons.

Mr. Litton received numerous awards during his career for flying expertise and leadership. As a flying training instructor, Mr. Litton was named the Air Education and Training Command Flying Training Flight Commander of the Year. In 1994, he was selected as an initial cadre instructor for the B-2 Stealth Bomber and became the 64th person ever to fly the aircraft. In 1996, he was the command nominee for the U.S. Jaycees 10 Outstanding Young Americans Award. He is a command pilot and has logged 3,500 hours in the T-37, T-38, A-10, and B-2.

Mr. Litton has earned M.A. degrees from Webster University, The Naval War College, and the Air War College. He holds graduate certificates from the George Washington University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Seminar XXI fellow. He is also a graduate of the National Security Executive Leadership Seminar and Leadership for a Democratic Society executive leadership programs. He is a Licensed Safety Professional and Certificated FAA Flight Instructor. He is married, has two adult sons, and two grandchildren.