General Norton Schwartz

Norton (“Norty”) Schwartz retired as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force (CSAF) in 2012 after serving for over 39 years in the Air Force. Schwartz began his service as a pilot with the airlift out of Vietnam in 1975. He helped lead a joint special operations task force during the Gulf War in 1991 and served as the strategic planner for the Air Force, the second-in-command of the U.S. Special Operations Command, and the senior operations officer for the U.S. Armed Forces. He was head of the U.S. Transportation Command and was appointed CSAF in 2008. Schwartz made a number of innovations as Chief, including shifting emphasis from traditional aircraft to remotely piloted vehicle missions, strengthening execution and oversight of nuclear deterrence activities, as well as a range of still classified efforts. Schwartz is the president and CEO of Business Executives for National Security.