About General Larry O. Spencer, USAF-Ret.
He began his career in the enlisted ranks and rose to become a four-star general. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering technology from Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale.
In 1980, he was commissioned through Officer Training School as a distinguished graduate. He has commanded a squadron, group and wing, and he was Vice Commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. He was also the first Air Force officer to serve as the Assistant Chief of Staff in the White House Military Office. He served as the Chief Financial Officer and then Director of Mission Support at a major command; and held positions within the Air Staff and Secretariat.
Prior to his assignment as Vice Chief of Staff, the general was Director, Force Structure, Resources and Assessment, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, DC reporting directly to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
General Spencer participated in contingency Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Desert Thunder, Desert Fox, Allied Force, and Iraqi Freedom.
Spencer has two Master of Science degrees in business management from Webster College and industrial resource strategy from the National Defense University. He also completed postgraduate courses at Harvard University, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from SIU.
General Spencer has two named awards: The Air Force General Larry Spencer Innovation Award and the Air Force General Larry Spencer Special Acts and Services Award. General Spencer is also a Distinguished Senior Fellow of Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania.
General Spencer is the author of the book, The Green Eyeshades of War, a historical review of financial management during war, published in 2016.
General Spencer was appointed the Director of the Whirlpool Corporation, Triumph Group, Inc., and Haynes International, Inc.
Currently Spencer resides in Northern Virginia with his wife, Ora. Together they have three children (Larry O. Spencer II, Derrick L. Spencer, and Shannon C. Spencer-Watson), and five grandchildren.
General Spencer is currently the President and Board Chair of the Armed Forces Benefit Association and 5Star Life Insurance Company, a position he has held since March 2020. Retiring as a four-star general, Spencer spent over 40 years in the Air Force. His last assignment was as the Vice Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, Washington, DC. In this capacity, Spencer was the second highest-ranking military member in the Air Force. He presided over the Air Staff and served as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Requirements Oversight Council and Deputy Management Advisory Group.
He assisted the Chief of Staff of the Air Force with organizing, training, and equipping 690,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas.