Brig. Gen. Jacob “DB” Middleton is the Commander, U.S. Space Forces Europe and Space Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. SPACEFOREUR-AF plans, coordinates, supports, and conducts employment of space operations across the full range of military operations, including security cooperation, in support of U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command objectives.
Brig. Gen. Middleton enlisted in the Air Force in August 1992 and received his commission through the Officer Training School in November 1998. He is a career space and missile operations officer and has commanded the Air Force Element Operations Squadron at the Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado; Vice Wing Commander, 50th Space Wing; Commander of Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado and Delta 20. He served in the Pentagon as an Air Force Strategic Policy Intern in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs and as the Senior Congressional Advisor to the Chief of Space Operations. He deployed in support of Operations Inherent Resolve, Freedom’s Sentinel and the Resolute Support mission; and is a graduate of the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies.
Prior to his current assignment, Brig. Gen. Middleton was the Deputy Director for Operations, Operations Directorate, the Joint Staff, in the National Military Command Center, Washington, D.C., where he was responsible to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for ensuring continuous 24/7 operations from the National Joint Operations and Intelligence Center including nuclear command and control and global operations monitoring, reporting, and direction to combatant commands.