Washington, DC - Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), respectively the Ranking Member and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, will nominate the following individuals to serve on the National Commission on Military Aviation Safety. The Commission is intended to examine underlying causes in recent high profile military aviation accidents. It was established in Section 1087 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2019. The Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees will each appoint one commissioner. The President of the United States will appoint four commissioners.

Ranking Member Smith will appoint retired General Raymond E. Johns, Jr.  General Johns commanded Air Mobility Command, served as the Director of Mobility Forces for operations in Bosnia, and was responsible for strategic airlift in Iraq and Afghanistan. Johns also served as the U.S. Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs. He was chosen as a White House Fellow in 1991, where he was a senior staff member in the Office of National Service. He served at the headquarters of the U.S. European Command in security assistance, strategy, and congressional affairs, and at the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Command as Deputy Director of Strategic Plans and Policy. He is a highly experienced test pilot having flown over 5,000 hours in more than 83 different aircraft. He was the chief test pilot and test program manager for the VC-25 Air Force One Replacement Program. He is currently Co-CEO of FlightSafety International.

Chairman Thornberry will appoint the Honorable Pete Geren. Geren served in senior leadership positions at the Department of Defense from 2001-2009, including as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Acting Secretary of the Air Force, Undersecretary of the Army, and Secretary of the Army. He was twice awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Award, DOD’s highest civilian award, for his service to the Department. He served four terms as a United States Congressman, representing the 12th District of Texas from 1989-1997. Secretary Geren is currently the president of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, an organization that provides grants to educational, health, human service, and cultural nonprofit organizations in Texas.

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