Major General James O. Eifert
The Adjutant General of Florida
Major General James O. Eifert, The Adjutant General of Florida, is the Governor’s senior military advisor and serves as director of a state agency, the Florida Department of Military Affairs. As Adjutant General, he is responsible for the training and operations of the Florida National Guard, which is comprised of approximately 12,000 Soldiers and Airmen.
He previously served as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Pacific Air Force is responsible for Air Force activities spread over half the globe in a command that supports 45,000 Airmen serving principally in Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam. Prior to that assignment, Major General Eifert was the Assistant Adjutant General – Air and Commander, Florida Air National Guard.
General Eifert received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in June 1982. Following undergraduate pilot training, he flew operational fighter tours in the F-4 and F-15 before joining the Hawaii Air National Guard in 1991.
After graduating from the prestigious United States Air Force Fighter Weapons School in December 1992, General Eifert led the first-ever Air National Guard F-15 combat mission policing the Northern Iraq no-fly zone during Operation Provide Comfort. In 1995 he joined the 125th Fighter Wing as the first F-15 Chief, Weapons and Tactics.
As the Operations Officer, General Eifert executed the Wing’s inaugural F-15 deployment to a combat zone during Operation Northern Watch in 1998 followed by the first Air Expeditionary Force rainbow deployment during Operation Southern Watch in 2000.
As Wing Commander, 125th Fighter Wing, he guided the 1,100 member organization during the continuing Operation Noble Eagle and Overseas Contingency Operations missions while simultaneously serving as the Air Dominance Weapons Systems Council Chairman working F-15/F-22 issues and concerns nationwide.
General Eifert served as the National Strategic Planning System Force Structure Committee Chairman responsible for advising the Deputy Director of the Air National Guard on roles and missions. He also routinely performed Deputy Combined Force Air Component Commander duty for the Commander Continental North American Aerospace Defense Command Region overseeing the conduct of full spectrum air and space operations over the continental U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
He is a command pilot with more than 3,800 flight hours in a wide array of aircraft, including the F-4C/D/E, F-15A/B/C/D, T-37, and T-38. His awards and decorations include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and one silver oak leaf cluster, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, Combat Readiness Medal with eight oak leaf clusters, and the National Defense Service Medal.