Lt. Gen. Michael J. Basla is the Chief, Information Dominance and Chief Information Officer, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. General Basla leads four directorates and supports 77,000 cyber operations and support personnel across the globe with a portfolio valued at $17 billion. He has overall responsibility for networks and network-centric policies, communications, information resources management, information assurance, and related matters for the Department of the Air Force. As Chief Information Officer, Lt. Gen. Basla provides oversight of portfolio management, delivers enterprise architecture, and enforces freedom of information act and privacy act laws. He integrates Air Force warfighting and mission support capabilities by networking air, space, and terrestrial assets. Additionally, he shapes doctrine, strategy, and policy for all cyberspace operations and support activities.

General Basla is a native of Syracuse, N.Y., graduating from Bishop Grimes High School. He received his commission in 1979 as a distinguished graduate of Officer Training School. General Basla has served in five operational communications units including commands at detachment, squadron and group levels. He has extensive joint experience including a tour as Director for C4 Systems, Joint Task Force Southwest Asia in Saudi Arabia where he delivered integrated network operations in support of United Nations security resolution enforcement against Iraq. He has served on the staffs of the Joint Staff, U.S. Transportation Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Air Mobility Command and Air Force Communications Command. In 2005, General Basla received the Eugene M. Zuckert Award, which honors one general officer or senior executive service member each year for outstanding management achievements by a Department of the Air Force Manager.

Prior to his current assignment, he was Vice Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., where he assisted the commander in organizing, equipping, training, and maintaining mission-ready space and cyberspace forces and capabilities for North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Strategic Command and the other functional and geographic combatant commands with missile warning, positioning, navigation and timing, communications and cyber capabilities.