Major General Eric Vollmecke
Major General Vollmecke currently serves as the Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives for Strategic Plans and Policy, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia. He provides strategic direction, policy guidance, and planning focus to develop and execute the National Military Strategy. Through the Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, he enables the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to provide military advice to the President, the Secretary of Defense and the National Security Council.
General Vollmecke was commissioned in 1982 through the Reserve Officer Training Corp program at The Citadel. He began his career as a communications officer which culminated at Headquarters, United States Air Force Staff leading system development initiatives on the Worldwide Military Command and Control System. In 1987, he transitioned to the West Virginia Air National Guard and earned his pilot wings. He has held numerous leadership and command positions at the squadron, wing, and major staff levels while also balancing a corporate career in the technology field.
General Vollmecke has served in tactical and operational roles in Panama, Desert Shield/Storm, Bosnia, Kosovo, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom to include commanding the 451st AEG, Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2005. He shaped the formulation of the Air National Guard’s modernization strategy across all major weapon systems, mission areas, and warfighting mediums for overseas and domestic operations. In April 2013, he was selected as the Deputy Commanding General for United States support to French Forces conducting combat operations in Mali, later training West African Forces from 15 Countries for the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission. Before his assignment to the Joint Staff, Major General Vollmecke served as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, United States Air Forces in Europe/Air Forces Africa.