Brig. Gen. Henry U. Harder, Jr. is the Deputy Adjutant General, Vermont National Guard. Previously as the Assistant Adjutant General - Air, he was responsible to prepare, implement and administer plans, policies and programs for over 1100 Air National Guard members in Vermont. General Harder served as primary advisor to the Adjutant General of Vermont on all Air National Guard affairs both state and federal.
General Harder received his commission in 1989 as a distinguished graduate from the Academy of Military Science after graduating from the University of Vermont at which time he attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona. He served within the 134th Fighter Squadron in multiple positions including Flying Training Instructor, Wing Plans Officer, Chief of Safety, Operations Plans Officer, Squadron Chief of Scheduling and Flight Commander. In 2008, he served as the 158th Operations Support Flight Commander until late 2009 when he was chosen to Command the 229th Information Operations Squadron located in Northfield, Vermont. In 2013, he became the Communications and Cyber Director at Joint Force Headquarters, Vermont with a follow on as the Director of Staff-Air until 2016 when he returned to the Wing as the Mission Support Group Commander and then Wing Vice Commander in June of 2017 until his current position as Assistant Adjutant General - Air. General Harder is a command pilot with over 3,000 hours of military flying, the majority in the F-16; his flying time includes over 330 hours of combat time in four separate tours in operations in and over Iraq.
EDUCATION
1987 Bachelor of Arts, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
1991 Undergraduate Pilot Training, Williams Air Force Base, Ariz.
1991 ADF-16 RTU Klamath Falls, Ore.
1996 Education Specialist Graduate Certificate, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
1999 Squadron Officer School, by Correspondence
2004 Air Command and Staff College, by Correspondence – Excellent Graduate
2013 United States Air War College, by Correspondence
2014 Harvard Kennedy School – Cybersecurity Executive Education Seminar, Cambridge, Mass.
2021 Dual Status Commanders Course, Peterson AFB, Colo.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 1990 - April 1991, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Williams Air Force Base, Ariz.
2. April 1991 - December 1991, ADF-16 RTU, Klamath Falls, Ore.
3. December 1991 - June 1997, F-16 Pilot, 134 FS, Burlington, Vt.
4. June 1997 - March 1998, Wing Plans Officer, 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington, Vt.
5. March 1998 - June 2002, Chief of Safety, 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington, Vt.
6. June 2002 - June 2004, Operations Plans Officer, 134 FS, Burlington, Vt.
7. June 2004 - March 2008, Flight Commander, 134 FS, Burlington, Vt.
8. April 2008 - January 2010, 158th Operations Support Flight Commander, Burlington, Vt.
9. February 2010 - September 2013, 229th Information Operations Squadron Commander, Burlington, Vt.
10. October 2013 - March 2014, Communications & Cyber Director, JFHQ-VT, Camp Johnson, Vt.
11. March 2014 - February 2016, Director of Staff–Air, JFHQ-VT, Camp Johnson, Vt.
12. February 2016 - June 2017, 158th Mission Support Group Commander, Burlington ANGB, Vt.
13. June 2017 - July 2019, 158th Fighter Wing Vice Wing Commander, Burlington ANGB, Vt
14. January 2020 - Present, Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Colchester, Vt.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,000
Aircraft flown: F-16A/B/C/D, AT38, T38, T37
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Meritorious Unit Award with Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with two Oak Leaf Clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with two Silver Oak Leaf Clusters
National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant : Dec. 21, 1989
First Lieutenant : Dec. 21, 1992
Captain : Jan. 7, 1995
Major : Sept. 11, 1999
Lieutenant Colonel : June 8, 2005
Colonel : May 22, 2014
Brigadier General Jan. 2, 2020
(Current as of January 2022)