Official U.S. government information about the
Global Positioning System (GPS) and related topics
National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing
Advisory Board
William Shelton
William "Willie" Shelton is an independent consultant. He also serves on several corporate boards and advisory boards and is
Chairman of the Board of Trustees for a non-profit organization in Colorado.
General Shelton retired as Commander, Air Force Space Command, in September 2014. During his career, he commanded space operations units at every level and held staff positions in a wide range of Air Force and Department of Defense organizations. In his final assignment, he led a team of over 40,000 at Air Force Space Command to provide space and cyberspace operational forces, as well as acquisition of space systems. In this role, he was responsible for an annual budget of over $10 billion.
During his Air Force career, General Shelton was a Space Shuttle controller for the first 18 missions, commander of Global Positioning System operations during the initial deployment of the constellation, and commander of the Air Force's largest ballistic missile wing. He also commanded all Department of Defense space operations during internationally significant events such as the Chinese anti-satellite test in 2007 and a North Korean Taepo Dong missile launch initially thought to be threatening Hawaii. He served as the Chief Information Officer of the Air Force and the director of the Air Force Headquarters staff during one of the most turbulent periods in the Air Force's history. While leading Air Force Space Command, he drove the development of new satellite architectural concepts to address growing space threats amid significant fiscal challenges. Finally, he led the rapid maturation of cyberspace forces to enhance both the defensive and offensive cyber capabilities of the Air Force.
General Shelton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1976, a Master of Science degree in astronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1980, and a Master of Science degree in national security studies from the National War College in 1995.
