33 Years of Service · U.S. Space Force
About Lt. Gen. DeAnna M. Burt
A retired Lieutenant General and the U.S. Space Force’s first female major general, DeAnna Burt spent 33 years building operational command experience — from the launch pad to the Pentagon — culminating in her role as the service’s Deputy Chief of Space Operations.
Biography
A Career Defined by Firsts and Hard-Won Command
DeAnna M. Burt is a retired Lieutenant General who served 33 years in uniform, transferring from the U.S. Air Force into the newly created U.S. Space Force in May 2021. She became the first woman to hold general-officer rank in the service, and its first female major general — the second female general officer overall, after Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1991 as a distinguished AFROTC graduate, and a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from Troy State University in 1995. She is also a distinguished graduate of the USAF Weapons School, Air Command and Staff College, and the National War College.
Her command assignments include the 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2008–2010, operating GPS), the 460th Operations Group (2012–2014, missile warning), the 50th Space Wing (2015–2017), and the Combined Force Space Component Command at Vandenberg AFB (2020–2022), a joint, multinational command with allied personnel from nations including Canada, Germany, and France.
From December 2022 to September 2025, she served as Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear — a role she described as the Space Force’s “chief operating officer” — before retiring on October 1, 2025, after a career spent, in her words, becoming an expert in the weapon system and building the digital literacy the force needs next.
Career Trajectory
A Career Built Across Every Level of Command
1992 – 1993
Undergraduate Space Training
Completed Undergraduate Space Training at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado.
1993 – 1995
4th Space Warning Squadron
Crew Commander, Deputy Flight Commander, and Chief of Current Operations at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, managing tactical warning operations.
1995 – 1997
76th Space Operations Squadron
Chief of Space Systems Tactical Warning Operations and Standardization/Training at Schriever AFB, Colorado.
1997 – 1999
Space Warfare Center
Executive Officer at Schriever AFB, Colorado.
1999 – 2001
USAF Weapons School
Assistant Training Flight Commander and Training Flight Commander at Nellis AFB, Nevada, instructing following her own graduation from the Weapons School’s Space Division.
2001 – 2004
HQ U.S. European Command
Theater Missile Defense Operations Officer and Deputy Chief, Special Technical Operations Branch, in Stuttgart, Germany.
2006 – 2008
Joint Space Operations Center
Combat Plans Division Lead at Vandenberg AFB, California.
2008 – 2010
Commander, 2nd Space Operations Squadron
First command, overseeing GPS satellite control operations at Schriever AFB, Colorado.
2010 – 2011
Air Force Space Command
Chief, Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Requirements Division, Peterson AFB, Colorado.
2012 – 2014
Commander, 460th Operations Group
Managed space-based infrared systems and cyber operations at Buckley AFB, Colorado.
2014 – 2015
Director, Commander’s Action Group
Peterson AFB, Colorado.
2015 – 2017
Commander, 50th Space Wing
Schriever AFB, Colorado; also commanded the Air Expeditionary Wing for Red Flag 16-3 at Nellis AFB.
2017 – 2018
Vice Commander, U.S. Air Force Warfare Center
Nellis AFB, Nevada.
2018 – 2020
Director of Operations and Communications
HQ Space Operations Command, Peterson AFB, Colorado.
2020 – 2022
Commander, Combined Force Space Component Command
Led a joint, multinational command at Vandenberg AFB/SFB, California, integrating space operations among U.S. forces and 14 partner nations, while concurrently serving as Vice Commander, Space Operations Command.
May 2021
Transfer to the U.S. Space Force
Became the first woman to hold general-officer rank in the newly created Space Force, and its first female major general.
Aug – Dec 2022
Special Assistant to the Vice Chief of Space Operations
The Pentagon.
2022 – 2025
Deputy Chief of Space Operations
Served as the Space Force’s “chief operating officer,” overseeing operations, cyber, and nuclear responsibilities across the entire service.
October 2025
Retirement After 33 Years
Retired with a career-spanning message to Guardians: become an expert in your weapon system, and never stop building digital literacy.
2025 – Present
Founder, Be the Patch Consulting LLC
Leadership and operational advisory services drawn from her military experience.
October 2025
Advisor to the Board, Kragon Space Inc.
Advises the Kragon Space board of directors on space policy, strategy, and operations.
November 2025
Consultant, Turion Space
Advisory role supporting Turion Space.
January 2026
Advisory Board, Farlie Turner Gilbert & Co.
Advises on space-related companies for investment, fund-raising, and divestment.
Recurring Themes
What She Has Consistently Stood For
Space as a Warfighting Domain
Insisting Guardians are operators and warfighters — not support personnel — across cyber, intel, acquisition, and space operations.
Digital Literacy & AI Adoption
Framing AI and machine learning as essential to closing “kill chains” and enabling programs like GMTI/AMTI targeting.
Sustained Investment
Advocating for consistent, predictable annual budget growth rather than one-off reconciliation increases.
“Space is a warfighting domain. Guardians are operators and warfighters — first, and always.”
Lt. Gen. DeAnna M. Burt, USSF (Ret.)
Get in Touch
Bring Three Decades of Command Experience to Your Stage.
Available for keynotes, panels, and advisory engagements on leadership, space policy, and national security.
