Gen John W "Jay" Raymond
General Raymond makes his way toward the viewing site for the National Reconnaissance Office mission (NROL-87) launch on Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. Feb. 2, 2022.
General Raymond holds town hall at Westfields, Chantilly, VA, on March 22, 2021. c/o NRO
General Raymond addresses basic military graduates Dec. 10, 2020, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.
General Raymond shakes hands with U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Tom James, commander of the Joint Task Force-Space Defense, during his visit to the organization at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, Sept. 6, 2022.
General Raymond participates in a fireside chat with Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., during the 2022 Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium, in Orlando, Fla., March 3, 2022.
General Raymond speaks about the Space Force at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conference, Nov. 18, 2020. c/o DOD
General Raymond is greeted by members of Space Base Delta 2 at Buckley Space Force Base, Colo., Sept. 6, 2022.
General Raymond walks off the flightline after a visit to the 21st Space Operations Squadron, Ka’ena Point, Oahu, Nov. 21, 2020. c/o Air Force Staff Sgt. Hailey Haux
General Raymond testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 4, 2019, in Washington, D.C. c/o Getty Images
General John W. “Jay” Raymond
John William Raymond was born in Monterey County, California in 1962 and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. He was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force in 1984 after graduating from Clemson University, where he served in the ROTC. His first assignment was as a Minuteman ICBM Crew Commander at Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota. While there he met his future wife Mollie and married her in 1987. They later had two daughters, Christina and Amy, and a son, Garry. In 1990, General Raymond earned an M.S. degree from Central Michigan University and an M.A. degree in national security and strategic studies from Naval War College in 2003. He has commanded at the squadron, group, wing, numbered air force, Major Command and Combatant Command levels. General Raymond deployed to Southwest Asia as Director of Space Forces in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He led the re-establishment of U.S. Space Command and lead the establishment of the U.S. Space Force. With the formation of the Space Force on 20 December 2019, General Raymond became the first Guardian as Chief of Space Operations and the eighth member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was officially sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on 14 January 2020. In his role, General Raymond was responsible for the standup of all new space force organizations, the transfer of personnel from other military branches, the consolidation of space units from other services, the setting of the service’s culture, and the design of its force structure. In November 2022, General Raymond transferred responsibility of CSO to General B. Chance Saltzman. General Raymond retired from active duty on 1 January 2023, after 38 years of service. He has been nicknamed the “father of the Space Force.”
Effective Dates of Promotion
Lieutenant July 20, 1984
First Lieutenant July 20, 1986
Captain July 20, 1988
Major July 1, 1996
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 1999
Colonel July 1, 2004
Brigadier General Aug. 1, 2009
Major General May 4, 2012
Lieutenant General Jan. 31, 2014
General Oct. 25, 2016