Marc H. Sasseville

Marc is an action-oriented, results-driven, and proven executive leader, planner, and strategist. He is also a decorated retired US Air Force officer, who achieved the rank of Lieutenant General and most recently served at the highest levels in the Department of Defense.

During his 39-year military career, he has grown and led small, medium, and large organizations. He has a reputation as a motivational, strategic, and transformative leader who doesn’t shy from challenges, is never content with the status quo, and continually seeks improvements and solutions in order to advance the mission.

As Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau—best described as a Joint Activity (Army and Air) inside the Department of Defense that represents and coordinates on behalf of the 430,000 National Guardsmen and women in all 54 States, Territories, and the District of Columbia—he participated in three of the Department’s five primary governance mechanisms and assisted with the development of departmental policies, budgetary and personnel issues, and the development and approval of joint force requirements. His primary duties included oversight of the NG’s $30b annual budget as well as most functions including requirements development, programming, budget execution, talent management, risk assessment, acquisitions, internal review, and reform/improvement initiatives.

With his finely-honed diplomatic and language skills, he fostered new international partnerships and strengthened others by coordinating and collaborating with foreign dignitaries and military leaders in conjunction with the department’s State Partnership Program.

While ‘triple-hatted’ as Commander of Continental US North American Defense Region, Commander Air Forces Northern, and Commander First Air Force, he was responsible for deploying and employing air defense and general-purpose air capabilities in order to meet the challenges of peacetime air sovereignty, wartime defense, and manmade/natural disasters in support of North America. He oversaw the coordination of the AF’s search and rescue efforts, the liaison officer deployments for disaster response missions, as well as the Civil Air Patrol. During his tenure, he served as lead component commander for Northern Command’s response to Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

As Deputy Director of the Air National Guard, he participated in the Air Force’s primary governance process and assisted with the development of policy pertaining to the ANG. His primary duties included monitoring day-to-day operations of the ANG, overseeing the strategic programming and planning processes, and coordinating and problem-solving with the Adjutants General from the 54 States, Territories, and the District.

As the US Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché to Turkiye, he served as a critical member of the Ambassador’s country team as well as the European Combatant Command staff. His duties as an accredited diplomat included serving as the primary US military representative and mil-to-mil conduit of communication, overseeing all foreign military sales cases, and serving as operational commander of the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions flown in support of Turkiye’s national requirements.

He held a variety of additional assignments including command at the numbered air force, wing, group, and squadron levels. His vast operational history includes assignments in the US, Europe, and in the Pacific theaters, and experience in test and evaluation, nuclear operations, air defense, and combat operations. He also flew for Atlas Air and Delta Airlines, speaks conversational French and Spanish, and has a high cultural quotient due to his Hispanic heritage and overseas experience.

Marc is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and Embry-Riddle University. He attended the National Security Studies Management Course at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University, graduated from the Combined Force Air Component and the Joint Flag Warfighting Officer courses, and was a fellow at the Senior Executives in National and International Security at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He attended Leadership at the Peak at the Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado Springs, and most recently the National Association of Corporate Directors’ ‘Battlefield to Boardroom’ course.