| Joseph L. Lengyel | |
| Birth Place: | Northeastern United States[1] |
| Allegiance: | United States |
| Serviceyears: | 1981–2020 |
| Rank: | General |
| Commands: | National Guard Bureau Air National Guard Readiness Center 455th Expeditionary Operations Group 149th Operations Group 182d Fighter Squadron |
| Battles: | War in Afghanistan |
| Awards: | Defense Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star Medal |
Joseph Lauren Lengyel (born 1959) is a retired United States Air Force four-star general who last served as the 28th chief of the National Guard Bureau from August 2016 to August 2020. As chief, he was responsible for ensuring that nearly 460,000 Army National Guard and Air National Guard personnel are accessible, capable and ready to protect the homeland and to provide combat capabilities to the United States Army and the United States Air Force. Lengyel is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours primarily in the F-16.
Prior to his last assignment, Lengyel served as the 10th vice chief of the National Guard Bureau. His previous general officer assignments include Senior United States Defense Official; Chief, Office of Military Cooperation; and Defense Attaché, Cairo, United States Central Command, Cairo, Egypt. He retired from the Air Force on August 3, 2020, after over 38 years of service.
Joseph Lauren Lengyel is the son of Lauren and Margaret Lengyel. His father was a career Air Force officer and Vietnam War veteran who was held as a prisoner of war; he received the Silver Star and retired a lieutenant colonel.[2] Lengyel has two brothers and a sister; one of his brothers, Gregory J. Lengyel,[3] is a retired major general and was a career Air Force special operations officer.[2] Lengyel was commissioned into the United States Air Force in 1981 through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at North Texas State University.
Lengyel served in various operational and staff assignments, primarily as an Instructor Pilot and unit Weapons Officer in the F-16 Fighting Falcon. His experience in the F-16 includes tours in Tactical Air Command, Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces, United States Air Forces in Europe and the Texas Air National Guard. He has commanded a fighter squadron, operations group, air expeditionary group and the Air National Guard Readiness Center.
1981 Bachelor's degree in chemistry, University of North Texas
1984 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
1988 Air Force Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nevada
1994 Air Command and Staff College, by seminar
2001 Air War College, by correspondence
2008 National Security Management Course, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, N.Y.
2009 Capstone General and Flag Officer Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2010 Combined Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2010 Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security, Cambridge, Mass.
2011 University of Tennessee, Master of Business Administration
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: more than 3,000
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38 and F-16
1983 Distinguished graduate, undergraduate pilot training
2009 Maj. Gen. I.G. Brown Command Excellence Award
Multiple civilian pilot ratings, including Airline Transport Pilot
Second Lieutenant Dec. 21, 1981
First Lieutenant Dec. 21, 1983
Captain Dec. 21, 1985
Major Dec. 13, 1994
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 23, 1998
Colonel Sept. 18, 2002
Brigadier General Sept. 26, 2008
Major General April 1, 2011
Lieutenant General Aug. 18, 2012
General Aug. 3, 2016