President Donald J. Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark to be the next U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent.
If confirmed, Clark will replace Lt. Gen. Jay B. Silveria, who graduated from the Academy in 1985 and has led the school since August 2017. Silveria plans to retire later this year, according to a USAFA release.
“I am extremely humbled and honored by the nomination to serve as the Superintendent of the Air Force Academy,” Clark said in the release. “I’m also excited for the opportunity to build on the tremendous work of Lt. Gen. Silveria and to give back to the institution that has given me so much. Go Falcons!”
Silveria said Clark “will be an extraordinary leader” for the school, citing his extensive history with the Academy and “exceptional leadership record,” according to the release.
Clark, who currently works as the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, is a 1986 USAFA graduate and a former commandant of cadets, according to his service biography.
He holds four master’s degrees—in human resource development, strategic studies, airpower studies, and national security studies—and graduated from U.S. military institutions including the Air Force Weapons School, the Naval Command and Staff College, the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, and the National War College.
Prior to his arrival at the Pentagon, he led 3rd Air Force and 8th Air Force, and served as vice-commander of Air Force Global Strike Command.
He’s also a command pilot with more than 4,200 flight hours, including 400 in combat, in aircraft including the B-1, EC-135, T-1, T-38, T-6, and C-21.