James H. Dickinson (born 1962) is a retired United States Army general who served as the commander of the United States Space Command from 2020 to 2025. He previously served as deputy commander of the United States Space Command from 2019 to 2020.
Early life and education Dickinson was born in Estes Park, Colorado. In 1985, he graduated from Colorado State University with a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering. According to him, his engineering degree helped shape his life and career by teaching him discipline and follow-through, team building, solving complex problems, and lifelong learning. He also received an M.S. in operations research and systems analysis from the Colorado School of Mines. Additionally, he earned a master's degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College.
Military career In 1985, Dickinson was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army's Air Defense Artillery Branch after completing Colorado State University's Reserve Officers' Training Corps program.
Previous command assignments he held were the Brigade Commander of the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Commander of the Eighth U.S. Army, Republic of Korea, and Battalion Commander of 1st Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery, which deployed to support Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom in the mid-2000s.
From 2010 to 2011, Dickinson served as deputy director for operations at the National Military Command Center. In 2011, he took command of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (94th AAMDC). At this time, he was promoted to brigadier general. He served as commander of the 94th AAMDC for a year, after which he served as commander of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command from 2012 to 2014. After that, he served as deputy inspector general of the United States Army for a year. From 2015 to 2016, he was assigned at the Missile Defense Agency, serving as the director of test.
In 2016, Dickinson was assigned as chief of staff of the United States Strategic Command. Following the suicide of Lieutenant General John G. Rossi, who was then confirmed to take command of the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), Dickinson was selected to take command instead. On January 5, 2017, he took command of the SMDC. In this role, he also served as the commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense.
U.S. Space Command In August 2019, the United States Space Command was reestablished and Dickinson was selected to serve as its first deputy commander. In December 2019, the United States Space Force was established and General John W. Raymond, U.S. Space Command's commander, became its first chief of space operations while retaining command of the combatant command. Dickinson was then nominated and confirmed to replace Raymond as commander of the United States Space Command. On August 20, 2020, he was promoted to general and took command of the U.S. Space Command. On January 10, 2024, Dickinson relinquished command to General Stephen Whiting. After this command tour, he retired from the U.S. Army.
Awards and decorations Dickinson is the recipient of the following awards: Master Space BadgeBasic Parachutist BadgeUnited States Space Command BadgeJoint Chiefs of Staff Identification BadgeArmy Staff Identification Badge32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command Combat Service Identification Badge7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia5 Overseas Service Bars Defense Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf clusterArmy Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf clusterDefense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clustersLegion of Merit with oak leaf clusterBronze Star MedalDefense Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clustersArmy Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clustersJoint Service Achievement MedalArmy Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clustersJoint Meritorious Unit Award with three oak leaf clustersMeritorious Unit CommendationSuperior Unit Award with three oak leaf clustersNational Defense Service Medal with one bronze service starArmed Forces Expeditionary MedalSouthwest Asia Service Medal with service starGlobal War on Terrorism Expeditionary MedalGlobal War on Terrorism Service MedalKorea Defense Service MedalHumanitarian Service MedalMilitary Outstanding Volunteer Service MedalArmy Service RibbonArmy Overseas Service Ribbon with bronze award numeral 2Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Dates of promotion + Rank Date Brigadier generalNovember 2, 2011 Major generalJuly 2, 2014 Lieutenant generalJanuary 5, 2017 GeneralAugust 20, 2020
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