John E. Shaw

John Edwin Shaw (born March 17, 1968) is a retired United States Space Force lieutenant general who last served as the deputy commander of the United States Space Command from 2020 to 2023. He previously served as commander of the Combined Force Space Component Command and deputy commander of Space Operations Command.

Shaw is from Norton, Massachusetts. He entered the United States Air Force in 1990 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy. A career space operations officer, he served in various operations and staff positions in the Air Force, including commanding the Fourteenth Air Force, 21st Space Wing, 50th Operations Group, and 4th Space Operations Squadron. He transferred to the Space Force in 2020 he was promoted to lieutenant general and became the second deputy commander of the United States Space Command.

Shaw has received graduate degrees from the University of Washington and George Washington University. He was also a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He was a contender for the chief of space operations position. He has written extensively on the space domain and the future of the military's role in space. In 2023, he retired from active duty. After retiring, he joined the advisory board of Sierra Space and the board of directors of Stoke Space.

Early life and education

John Edwin Shaw was born on March 17, 1968. Raised in Norton, Massachusetts, he is a distinguished graduate from the United States Air Force Academy in 1990 with a B.S. degree in astronautical engineering and a minor in Russian language. He later earned an M.S. degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington in 1991 with a thesis entitled Optimal Control Designs for an Inverted Cart-Pendulum Array.

Military career Gen John W. Raymond, presents the 14th Air Force guidon to Shaw, during a change of commander ceremony, 2019.

After graduating from the United States Air Force Academy, Shaw was commissioned into the United States Air Force on May 30, 1990. For a year, he studied at the University of Washington. From June 2015 to June 2017, he was assigned to the U.S. Strategic Command as the deputy director for global operations. After that, he was reassigned to the Air Force Space Command first as the director of strategic plans, programs, requirements, and analysis from 2017 to 2018 and then as deputy commander of the major command from 2018 to 2019 after he was promoted to major general. On December 20, 2019, with the establishment of the United States Space Force, the Fourteenth Air Force was temporarily redesignated as the Space Operations Command. On October 21, 2020, the Space Operations Command in Vandenberg Air Force Base was inactivated prior to the activation of a separate Space Operations Command, a new field command for which Shaw became the deputy commander.

On September 30, 2020, Shaw was nominated for transfer to the Space Force, promotion to lieutenant general, and assignment as deputy commander of the United States Space Command. He relinquished command of the Combined Force Space Component Command on November 16, 2020, to Major General DeAnna Burt. He was promoted and transferred to the Space Force on November 23, 2020, in a ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy and took on duties as deputy commander of U.S. Space Command the next day. On October 5, 2023, he relinquished his position as deputy commander after he extension caused by Senator Tommy Tuberville's hold on his successor's nomination.

Shaw held his retirement ceremony on September 8, 2023. His official retirement was on November 1, 2023. In April 2024, Stoke Space appointed him to their board of directors.

Personal life Shaw is married to Tonia Shaw.

Awards and decorations

Shaw is the recipient of the following awards:

Defense Distinguished Service MedalAir Force Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf clusterDefense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf clusterLegion of Merit with one bronze oak leaf clusterDefense Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal with four bronze oak leaf clustersJoint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf clusterJoint Service Achievement Medal with oak leaf clusterAir Force Achievement MedalJoint Meritorious Unit Award with three bronze oak leaf clustersAir Force Outstanding Unit Award with two bronze oak leaf clustersAir Force Organizational Excellence Award with one bronze oak leaf clusterCombat Readiness MedalNational Reconnaissance Office Distinguished Service Medal (Gold Medal)National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service starKosovo Campaign Medal with one bronze service starGlobal War on Terrorism Service MedalArmed Forces Service MedalAir and Space Campaign MedalAir Force Overseas Long Tour Service RibbonAir Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and three bronze oak leaf clustersSmall Arms Expert Marksmanship RibbonAir Force Training Ribbon General Jerome F. O'Malley Distinguished Space Leadership Award Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics National Finalist, White House Fellow Program Royal Air Force Historical Society and U.S. Air Force Historical Foundation "Two Air Forces" Award for Writing (1998)

Dates of promotion Tonia Shaw (left) and her son, Timothy Shaw (right), pin newly promoted Lt. Gen. Shaw during the general's promotion and transfer ceremony on November 23, 2020. + Rank Branch Date Second Lieutenant Air Force May 30, 1990 First Lieutenant May 30, 1992 Captain May 30, 1994 Major May 1, 2001 Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2005 Colonel October 1, 2008 Brigadier General June 5, 2015 Major General August 17, 2018 Lieutenant General Space Force November 23, 2020

Writings Op-eds

Books

Articles

Thesis