Lew Allen
Encyclopedia
Lew Allen, Jr. was a United States Air Force
four-star General
who served as the tenth Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. As the Chief-of-Staff, Allen served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer, who was responsible for the organization, training, and equipping of 750,000 active duty Air Force, Air National Guard
, Air Force Reserve, and civilian personal serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
, he and the other service chiefs function(ed) as the military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and the President
.
, Allen attended and graduated from high school in Gainesville, Texas
, in 1942. He entered the United States Military Academy
, in 1943, and he graduated in 1946 with a bachelor of science
degree and a commission as a second lieutenant. He was awarded his pilot's wings
upon his graduation from flight training.
's 7th Bombardment Group at Carswell Air Force Base
, Texas
, where he flew B-29 Superfortress
bomber
s, and then the new and very long-range Convair B-36
bomber. Allen also served in various technical positions in the area of nuclear weapon
s. Allen also attended the Air Tactical Course at Tyndall Air Force Base
, Florida, and next he returned to Carswell Air Force Base as a flight instructor
and as an assistant Special Weapons Officer for the 7th Bombardment Wing.
In September 1950, Allen entered the University of Illinois
for graduate study in nuclear physics
. He completed his Master of Science
degree in 1952. Allen continued his graduate study, and he earned his Ph. D. in physics
in 1954. He had completed an experimental thesis
on high-energy photonuclear reactions. General Allen then was assigned to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico
, as a physicist
in the Test Division, where he became acquainted with the bomb designer Ted Taylor. Allen conducted experiments in several different nuclear test series. These experiments concerned the physics of thermonuclear weapons design and to the effects of high altitude nuclear explosion
s conceivably to be used for ballistic missile defense.
From June 1957 to December 1961, Allen was assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base
, New Mexico, as the science adviser to the Physics Division of the Air Force Special Weapons Center. ("Special weapons" is a euphemism for nuclear and thermonuclear bombs.) Allen specialized in the military effects of high altitude nuclear explosions and participated in several nuclear weapons test series. He was scientific director of a major experiment that utilized a large series of high altitude rockets to measure the characteristics of electrons trapped in the geomagnetic field after an exoatmospheric nuclear burst.
Allen was assigned in December 1961 to the Office of the Secretary of Defense
, Space Technology Office, in the Directorate of Research and Engineering, Washington, D.C.
From June 1965 to February 1973, he was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, initially in Los Angeles
, California
, as the Deputy Director for Advanced Plans in the Directorate of Special Projects. Allen next moved to The Pentagon
in June 1968 as the Deputy Director of Space Systems, and in June 1969, he became the Director. He returned to Los Angeles in September 1970 as the assistant to the Director of Special Projects and in April 1971 became the Director of Special Projects, with additional duty as the Deputy Commander for Satellite Programs of the Space and Missile Systems Organization.
After serving briefly as the Chief-of-Staff for the Air Force Systems Command
at Andrews Air Force Base
, Maryland
, Allen was appointed in March 1973 as a deputy to the Director of Central Intelligence
for the Intelligence Community
in Washington, D.C. In August 1973, Allen became the Director of the National Security Agency
(N.S.A.) and the Chief of the Central Security Service at Fort George G. Meade
, Maryland. Allen's tenure as the N.S.A. director was noteworthy in that he became the first N.S.A. director to ever testify publicly before Congress. In August 1977, he was named Commander of Air Force Systems Command
.
Allen served as the Vice-Chief-of-Staff of the U.S. Air Force from April 1978 until he became the Chief of Staff of the Air Force in July 1978. His nomination was unusual in that he had never served in an overseas or combat assignment, and most of his positions were in specialized technical activities, rather than in the usual command structure of the Air Force. Also, he was the last chief of staff with a bomber background; all subsequent Chiefs of Staff except General Norton Schwartz have been fighterplane pilots, and this trend is reflected by the Service's weapon budgets, which devote most funding to fighterplanes rather than bombers.
Following his retirement from the Air Force in 1982, Allen became the Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(J.P.L.), during part of the Voyager Program
(space probes launched in 1977), and he served as the Director of the J.P.L. until 1990.
General Allen was a member of the National Academy of Engineering
and the Council on Foreign Relations
.
From 1993 to 1995, Allen served as a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
(PFIAB) and the Intelligence Oversight Board
Allen was awarded the 1999 Distinguished Graduate Award of the Association of Graduates, the alumni association of West Point graduates.
The U.S. Air Force has created an award in Allen's honor, the General Lew Allen, Jr., Trophy, which is awarded annually to an Officer and a Senior NCO in the aircraft maintenance or munitions career fields directly involved with setting up aircraft sorties with nuclear weapons.
Allen died in Potomac Falls, Virginia, on January 4, 2010. He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery
on March 22, 2010.
{| class="wikitable"
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
four-star General
General (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
who served as the tenth Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. As the Chief-of-Staff, Allen served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer, who was responsible for the organization, training, and equipping of 750,000 active duty Air Force, Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
, Air Force Reserve, and civilian personal serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
, he and the other service chiefs function(ed) as the military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
World War II
Born in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, Allen attended and graduated from high school in Gainesville, Texas
Gainesville, Texas
Gainesville is a city in and the county seat of Cooke County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,538 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, in 1942. He entered the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, in 1943, and he graduated in 1946 with a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree and a commission as a second lieutenant. He was awarded his pilot's wings
United States Aviator Badge
A United States Aviator Badge refers to three types of aviation badges issued by the United States military, those being for Army, Air Force, and Naval aviation....
upon his graduation from flight training.
Post-World War II
After completing multi-engine flight training in November 1946, Allen was assigned to Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
's 7th Bombardment Group at Carswell Air Force Base
Carswell Air Force Base
Carswell Air Force Base, was a United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base located about northwest central of Fort Worth, Texas, United States; the air force base is mostly within the Fort Worth city limits and has portions within Westworth and White Settlement...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where he flew B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s, and then the new and very long-range Convair B-36
Convair B-36
The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built , although there have...
bomber. Allen also served in various technical positions in the area of nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s. Allen also attended the Air Tactical Course at Tyndall Air Force Base
Tyndall Air Force Base
Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt Frank Benjamin Tyndall...
, Florida, and next he returned to Carswell Air Force Base as a flight instructor
Flight instructor
A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to fly aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate the knowledge and skill level of an aviator in pursuit...
and as an assistant Special Weapons Officer for the 7th Bombardment Wing.
In September 1950, Allen entered the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
for graduate study in nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
. He completed his Master of Science
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
degree in 1952. Allen continued his graduate study, and he earned his Ph. D. in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
in 1954. He had completed an experimental thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
on high-energy photonuclear reactions. General Allen then was assigned to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Los Alamos is a townsite and census-designated place in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States, built upon four mesas of the Pajarito Plateau and the adjoining White Rock Canyon. The population of the CDP was 12,019 at the 2010 Census. The townsite or "the hill" is one part of town while...
, as a physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
in the Test Division, where he became acquainted with the bomb designer Ted Taylor. Allen conducted experiments in several different nuclear test series. These experiments concerned the physics of thermonuclear weapons design and to the effects of high altitude nuclear explosion
High altitude nuclear explosion
High-altitude nuclear explosions have historically been nuclear explosions which take place above altitudes of 30 km, still inside the Earth's atmosphere. Such explosions have been tests of nuclear weapons, used to determine the effects of the blast and radiation in the exoatmospheric...
s conceivably to be used for ballistic missile defense.
From June 1957 to December 1961, Allen was assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base
Kirtland Air Force Base
Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator Col. Roy C. Kirtland...
, New Mexico, as the science adviser to the Physics Division of the Air Force Special Weapons Center. ("Special weapons" is a euphemism for nuclear and thermonuclear bombs.) Allen specialized in the military effects of high altitude nuclear explosions and participated in several nuclear weapons test series. He was scientific director of a major experiment that utilized a large series of high altitude rockets to measure the characteristics of electrons trapped in the geomagnetic field after an exoatmospheric nuclear burst.
Allen was assigned in December 1961 to the Office of the Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
, Space Technology Office, in the Directorate of Research and Engineering, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
From June 1965 to February 1973, he was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, initially in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, as the Deputy Director for Advanced Plans in the Directorate of Special Projects. Allen next moved to The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
in June 1968 as the Deputy Director of Space Systems, and in June 1969, he became the Director. He returned to Los Angeles in September 1970 as the assistant to the Director of Special Projects and in April 1971 became the Director of Special Projects, with additional duty as the Deputy Commander for Satellite Programs of the Space and Missile Systems Organization.
After serving briefly as the Chief-of-Staff for the Air Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command is a former United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland...
at Andrews Air Force Base
Andrews Air Force Base
Joint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Allen was appointed in March 1973 as a deputy to the Director of Central Intelligence
Director of Central Intelligence
The Office of United States Director of Central Intelligence was the head of the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the principal intelligence advisor to the President and the National Security Council, and the coordinator of intelligence activities among and between the various United...
for the Intelligence Community
Intelligence community
Intelligence community may refer to* Bangladeshi intelligence community* Croatian intelligence community * Israeli intelligence community* Italian intelligence community, see SISMI...
in Washington, D.C. In August 1973, Allen became the Director of the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
(N.S.A.) and the Chief of the Central Security Service at Fort George G. Meade
Fort George G. Meade
Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation that includes the Defense Information School, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Courier Service...
, Maryland. Allen's tenure as the N.S.A. director was noteworthy in that he became the first N.S.A. director to ever testify publicly before Congress. In August 1977, he was named Commander of Air Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command is a former United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland...
.
Allen served as the Vice-Chief-of-Staff of the U.S. Air Force from April 1978 until he became the Chief of Staff of the Air Force in July 1978. His nomination was unusual in that he had never served in an overseas or combat assignment, and most of his positions were in specialized technical activities, rather than in the usual command structure of the Air Force. Also, he was the last chief of staff with a bomber background; all subsequent Chiefs of Staff except General Norton Schwartz have been fighterplane pilots, and this trend is reflected by the Service's weapon budgets, which devote most funding to fighterplanes rather than bombers.
Following his retirement from the Air Force in 1982, Allen became the Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
(J.P.L.), during part of the Voyager Program
Voyager program
The Voyager program is a U.S program that launched two unmanned space missions, scientific probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. They were launched in 1977 to take advantage of a favorable planetary alignment of the late 1970s...
(space probes launched in 1977), and he served as the Director of the J.P.L. until 1990.
General Allen was a member of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
and the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
.
From 1993 to 1995, Allen served as a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
The President's Intelligence Advisory Board is an advisor to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. According to its self-description, it "...provides advice to the President concerning the quality and adequacy of intelligence collection, of analysis and estimates, of...
(PFIAB) and the Intelligence Oversight Board
Allen was awarded the 1999 Distinguished Graduate Award of the Association of Graduates, the alumni association of West Point graduates.
The U.S. Air Force has created an award in Allen's honor, the General Lew Allen, Jr., Trophy, which is awarded annually to an Officer and a Senior NCO in the aircraft maintenance or munitions career fields directly involved with setting up aircraft sorties with nuclear weapons.
Allen died in Potomac Falls, Virginia, on January 4, 2010. He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
on March 22, 2010.
Awards and decorations
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- Command Pilot BadgeUnited States Aviator BadgeA United States Aviator Badge refers to three types of aviation badges issued by the United States military, those being for Army, Air Force, and Naval aviation....
(more than 4,000 flying hours) - Master Missile BadgeMissile BadgeThe Missile Badge is a military decoration of the United States Air Force which was first created in the 1960s. The badge recognizes those commissioned officers and enlisted personnel of the US Air Force who have qualified as missile personnel that have been trained in the launching of landbased...
- Defense Distinguished Service MedalDefense Distinguished Service MedalThe Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a United States military award which is presented for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to national security or defense of the United States...
with oak leaf cluster - Air Force Distinguished Service MedalAir Force Distinguished Service MedalThe Air Force Distinguished Service Medal was created by an act of the United States Congress on July 6, 1960. The medal was intended as a new decoration of the United States Air Force to replace the policy of awarding the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Air Force personnel.The Air Force...
- Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
with two oak leaf clusters - Joint Service Commendation Medal
- National Intelligence Distinguished Service MedalNational Intelligence Distinguished Service MedalThe National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal is the highest decoration awarded for service to the United States Intelligence Community...
.