Larry O. Spencer

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Larry O. Spencer (born August 1, 1954) is a retired United States Air Force general who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force from 2012 to 2015. Over a 44-year career, he held many command and leadership posts, including leading the 4th Comptroller Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, the 72nd Support Group at Tinker AFB, and the 75th Air Base Wing at Hill AFB. He directed Air Force budgeting and resources as deputy budget secretary and later on the Joint Staff as director of Force Structure, Resources and Assessment (J8). He retired on October 1, 2015.

Early life and education
Born in Washington, D.C., Spencer grew up in Seat Pleasant, Maryland. He attended Central High School and joined the Air Force in 1971, starting as an administrative clerk at Pope Army Air Field. He later served overseas in Taiwan and at Whiteman AFB. He earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering technology from Southern Illinois University in 1979 while continuing to serve, and he entered Officer Training School, becoming a second lieutenant in February 1980.

Career highlights
Spencer’s early officer assignments included cost analyst roles at Robins AFB and work on the Air Staff in the Pentagon. After attending the Marine Corps Command and Staff College (1989–1990), he commanded the 4th Comptroller Squadron (1991–1993). He earned a Master of Science from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1994, then served in the White House Military Office as assistant chief of staff. He commanded the 72nd Support Group (1996–1998) and the 75th Air Base Wing (1998–1999). He was the Air Combat Command comptroller (1999–2003) and later director of mission support for the Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson AFB (2003–2006).

Spencer was promoted to brigadier general in 2004 and to major general in 2007, serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget (2007) and then as director of budget operations and personnel in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller (2006–2007). He was promoted to lieutenant general in 2010 and served as director of Force Structure, Resources and Assessment on the Joint Staff, overseeing defense programs and resources, and he chaired the Joint Capabilities Board.

Vice Chief of Staff and retirement
In 2012, Spencer was nominated for promotion to general and appointed Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, serving as the Air Staff’s senior officer and representative on joint boards. He retired from the Air Force on October 1, 2015.

Post-military roles
After leaving the service, Spencer became president of the Air Force Association (and publisher of Air Force Magazine), overseeing membership growth and finances. He left the AFA in 2019 and became president of the Armed Forces Benefit Association and 5Star Life Insurance Company. He has since served on corporate boards, including Whirlpool (since 2016), Triumph Group, and Haynes International, and is a distinguished senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government. He also sits on the Defense Business Board.

Awards and honors
Spencer’s decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (two), the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit (three). Two Air Force awards are named in his honor: the General Larry O. Spencer Innovation Award and the General Larry Spencer Special Acts and Services Award.

Books
He is the author of The Green Eyeshades of War (2016), a history of military financial management during wartime, and Dark Horse (2021), an autobiography.