Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven L. Kwast, commander and president of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, will provide the keynote address at Troy University’s Spring Commencement Exercises at 10 a.m. Friday, May 12 in Trojan Arena.
More than 950 students representing 29 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and 13 nations outside the United States are expected to participate in the ceremony.
In his role at Air University, Kwast leads the intellectual and leadership center of the Air Force, graduating more than 50,000 resident and 120,000 non-resident officers, enlisted and civilian personnel each year. He is also responsible for officer commissioning through the Officer Training School and the Reserve Officer Training Corps.
He was commissioned upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1986. After completing a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, he was assigned to undergraduate pilot training where he earned his pilot wings in June 1989. Lt. Gen. Kwast has served as military aide to the vice president and completed a National Defense Fellowship with the Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology and Policy at Boston University, Massachusetts.
He has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels, including the 47th Operations Group at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, and the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. He also served as the deputy director for Colonel Matters, Air Force Senior Leader Management Office, Washington, D.C., and as the commander, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Lt. Gen. Kwast was the deputy director for Politico-Military Affairs for Europe, NATO, and Russia, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Prior to his current assignment, he was the commander, Curtis E. LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education and vice commander of Air University. He has more than 3,300 flying hours, including more than 650 combat hours during operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Allied Force and Enduring Freedom.
