Brig. Gen. Chad R. Ellsworth is the Commander of Defense Logistics Agency Aviation and Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. DLA Aviation, a major subordinate command of DLA, is the agency’s combat logistics and supply chain manager for aviation and nuclear assets across the Department of Defense. DLA Aviation is headquartered in Richmond and operates at 22 geographically separated sites across the U.S., plus one site overseas.
Brig. Gen. Ellsworth’s team includes more than 4,300 civilian and military personnel who support more than 2,300 weapons systems. He is the U.S. military's integrated material manager for more than 1.8 million national stock number items, industrial retail supply and depot-level reparable acquisitions, representing more than $5 billion in annual sales. He is also the base commander for Defense Supply Center Richmond, providing installation support, services and security for 20 tenants, including the two-star Virginia National Guard Joint Headquarters.
Brig. Gen. Ellsworth entered the Air Force in 1993 through Basic Military Training. He received his commission through Officer Training School in 2000 after earning his bachelor’s degree from Faulkner University in Alabama. As a career logistician, he has served in various positions at the wing, major command, Secretary of the Air Force, Joint Staff and Office of the Secretary of Defense levels.
Prior to his current assignment, Brig. Gen. Ellsworth served as Deputy Director for Contested Logistics, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection, Headquarters Air Force, Washington, D.C. While there, he helped the Deputy Chief of Staff develop countermeasures to conduct basing and logistics functions in a contested environment through a credible, globally postured force to deliver and sustain persistent mission generation while under attack.
EDUCATION
- 1999 Associate of Science, Transportation Management, Community College of the Air Force
- 1999 Honor Graduate, Bachelor of Business Management, Faulkner University, Ala.
- 2000 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
- 2005 Top-Third and Outstanding Contributor Graduate, Squadron Officers School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
- 2008 Fellow, Master of Arts, Organizational Management, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
- 2009 Strategic Policy Intern, Intermediate Developmental Education, Air Force Intern Program, Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
- 2009 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
- 2010 Distinguished Graduate, Advanced Logistics Readiness Officer Course, McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
- 2011 Advanced Program in Logistics & Technology, Kenan-Flagler School of Business, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- 2011 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Professional Military Education Phase II, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
- 2013 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
- 2018 National Defense Fellow (SDE), Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Mass.
- 2021 USAF Global Supply Chain Executive Development Program, Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.
- 2021 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Summit, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.
- 2022 Leadership Decision Making, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Mass.
- 2023 Artificial Intelligence for National Security Leaders, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
- November 1993 - February 1995, Traffic Management Apprentice, 39th Transportation Squadron, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey
- February 1995-August 1997, Traffic Management Journeyman, 65th Transportation Squadron, Lajes Field Azores, Portugal (August-November 1995, Traffic Management, 4404th Wing, Southwest Asia)
- August 1997-January 2000, Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, Student Issues Branch, Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
- January 2000-April 2000, Officer Training School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
- April 2000-June 2002, Squadron Section Commander, Flight Commander and Air Terminal Operations Center Duty Officer, 436th Aerial Port Squadron, Dover AFB, Del.
- June 2002-December 2002, Chief of Weapons and Mobility Bags and Flight Commander Traffic Management Office, 31st Logistics Readiness Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy
- December 2002-June 2005, Executive Officer, Command Logistics Readiness Inspector, Office of Inspector General, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio (July-November 2004, Chief, NATO Channel Flight Coordination Cell, Joint Forces Command, Naples, Italy)
- June 2005-August 2006, Director U.S. Air Force Inspectors Course, Office of the Inspector General, Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
- August 2006-June 2008, Air Force Intern, Chairman’s Action Group, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Congressional Activities, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
- June 2008-October 2008, Air Force Nuclear Logistics Surety Team Member, Directorate of Logistics Readiness, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
- October 2008–September 2009, Operations Officer, 5th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron, Abdullah Al- Mubarak Air Base, Southwest Asia
- September 2009-June 2012, Deputy Program Manager, Military Assistant to the Director J-3/4, Joint Logistics Operations Officer, Directorate of Logistics Operations (J-3), Headquarters Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, Va.
- June 2012-July 2014, Commander, 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron, F. E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
- July 2014-June 2015, Deputy Commander, 90th Mission Support Group, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
- June 2015–June 2017, Executive Officer to the Air Force Materiel Command Commander; Chief, Commander’s Action Group, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
- July 2017-July 2018, National Defense Fellow, International Security Program, Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Cambridge, Mass.
- August 2018-June 2020, Commander, 66th Air Base Group, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
- July 2020-June 2022, Commander, 635th Supply Chain Operations Wing, at Scott AFB, Ill.
- June 2022- July 2024, Deputy Director for Contested Logistics; Associate Director Resource Integration, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection, HQ USAF, Washington, D.C.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
- Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
- Defense Meritorious Service Medal
- Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
- Joint Service Commendation Medal
- Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
- Joint Service Achievement Medal
- Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
- Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster Meritorious Unit Award
- Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters
- Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with two oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
- Second Lieutenant – April 7, 2000
- First Lieutenant – April 7, 2002
- Captain – April 7, 2004
- Major – Nov. 1, 2009
- Lieutenant Colonel – Dec. 1, 2013
- Colonel – May 1, 2018
- Brigadier General – July 2, 2024