Mr. George R. Farfour is the Associate Dean of the School of Strategic Force Studies at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He assists in leading 35 faculty and staff members committed to developing Airmen, joint service professionals and international partners to thrive in a technologically competitive environment. The School of Strategic Force Studies graduates approximately 5,000 mid-to-senior level students annually from competency-based professional continuing education or scholarship programs focused on critical subject matter such as nuclear surety; deterrence strategy; nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) methodology; and cyberspace operations. The school’s operating budget is $3.4 million per year, which supports four Departments: Nuclear Studies located at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, NC3 at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, Nuclear Academic Partnerships and Cyberspace located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Before retiring after 37 years of uniformed service, he was most recently the Chief, Defense Nuclear Inspections Oversight Department, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. He was responsible to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of the Secretary of Defense for the oversight of US Air Force and Navy nuclear inspection teams on the health and warfighting capability of the Nation’s nuclear triad.
Mr. Farfour enlisted in the United States Air Force Reserve on 3 Aug 85. He was commissioned in May 1989 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina. He has served as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Officer for most of his career, with extensive experience in nuclear war planning; national nuclear policy; conventional, nuclear, and space arms control policy, nuclear operations, nuclear weapon systems acquisition and sustainment and nuclear command, control and communications. He has also served in a variety of staff positions, including at U.S. Strategic Command, on the Air Staff at the Pentagon, and as Deputy Director of the Air Force Space Command Commander's Action Group. He served as the Chief, Nuclear Operations and Integration Division, Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters, United States Air Force. Colonel Farfour had leading roles in the stand-up of Headquarters, Air Force A10, Air Force Global Strike Command and the Air Force’s organization of Nuclear Command, Control and Communications.
He also served as the Vice Commander, 90th Missile Wing, Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyo. and as the Vice Commander, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Kirtland AFB, NM.
EDUCATION
1989 Bachelor of Science in Communications/Political Science, East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.
1993 Master of Arts in Management, Outstanding Graduate Student, Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.
1994 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2001 Air Command and Staff College (correspondence)
2003 Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Top Third graduate, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 Air War College (correspondence)
2006 National Defense Fellow (Senior Developmental Education), Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), International Security Program, Washington, D.C.
2012 Joint and Combined Warfighting School (JPME-II), Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk, Va.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1989 - January 1990, Duty Officer, 510th Strategic Missile Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
2. February 1990 - June 1990, Student, Undergraduate Missileer Training, Top Performer, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
3. June 1990 - July 1994, ICBM Combat Crew Officer, Senior Instructor, Senior Evaluator, Training and Evaluation Flight Commander, 351st Missile Wing, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
4. July 1994 - August 1994, Student, Space Operations Bridge Course, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
5. August 1994 - December 1996, Satellite Operations Flight Commander and Chief of Operations Training, 6th Space Operations Squadron, 50th Space Wing, Offutt AFB, Neb.
6. January 1997 - March 2000, ICBM/SLBM Force Employment Officer and Chief, Ballistic Missile Tactics, Combat Plans Division, Plans and Programs Directorate, United States Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
7. April 2000 - July 2002, Chief, Strategy and Concepts Planning Branch and Chief, Space Arms Control Policy, Deputy Chief of Staff, Air and Space Operations, Headquarters, United States Air Force, Pentagon, Washington D.C..
8. August 2002 - June 2003, Student, Top Third graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. July 2003 - June 2004, Chief, Space and Missile Standardization/Evaluation Policy, Directorate of Air and Space Operations, Headquarters, Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
10. June 2004 - July 2005, Deputy Director, Commander's Action Group, HQ, Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
11. July 2005 - July 2006, National Defense Fellow (Senior Developmental Education), Center for Strategic and International Studies, International Security Program, Washington, D.C.
12. July 2006 - June 2008, Commander, 595th Operations Support Squadron, 595th Space Group, Space Innovation and Development Center, Schriever AFB, Colo.
13. June 2008 - July 2011, Chief, Nuclear Operations and Integration Division, Asst Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters, United States Air Force, Pentagon, Washington D.C. From January - December 2009, temporarily assigned as the Chief of Staff, Air Force Global Strike Command (Provisional) and as Special Assistant to the Commander, AFGSC, for ICBM transfer from AFSPC to AFGSC.
14. July 2011 - July 2013, Vice Commander, 90th Missile Wing, F. E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
15. July 2013 - June 2014, Director, Task Force 214, F. E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
16. June 2014 – June 2020, Vice Commander, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
17. June 2020 – August 2021, Chief Nuclear Inspections and Education Department; Commandant, Defense Nuclear Weapons School and Chief Nuclear Inspector, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
18. August 2021 – September 2022, Chief Defense Nuclear Inspections Oversight Department, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
19. September 2022 – February 2023, Consultant, Louisiana Technical Research Institute, Louisiana Tech University, Bossier City, LA and Adjunct Contract Professor, Flatter Inc, Fredericksburg, VA.
20. Februry 2023 – present, Associate Dean, School of Strategic Force Studies, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Recognition Ribbon with three oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal with bronze service star
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal with four bronze service stars
Air & Space Campaign Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with "N" device and four oak leaf clusters
AFNWC Order of the Nucleus
Honorable Order of St Barbara, US Field Artillery Association
PUBLICATIONS
2005 "The Fog of War: Lt Kenneth M. Taylor on December 7, 1941", Air Power History
2006 "U.S. Nuclear Forces and Policy", A Collection of Papers from the 2005 Conference Series, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Project on Nuclear Issues.
2006 "Service Perspectives on the Quadrennial Defense Review", Center for Strategic and International Studies Strategy Report.
2006 "Deterrence: Cold War to Tailored--It Is Time To Think Differently", High Frontier
2008 "No Space Capabilities, No Joint Fight," With Maj Kenneth Yee, High Frontier
2023 “Attention to Detail,” Vexillum
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman First Class August 3, 1985
Second Lieutenant May 6, 1989
First Lieutenant June 20, 1991
Captain June 20, 1993
Major Oct. 1, 2000
Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 2004
Colonel Sept. 1, 2008
GS-15 Feb 26, 2023
(Current as of 4 July 2023)