The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal to General Ralph Edward Eberhart, United States Air Force, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States. General Eberhart distinguished himself s Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, from 18 February 2000 to 19 April 2002. During this time, General Eberhart led the Nation’s military space force through unprecedented change with a steady hand and steadfast purpose. His leadership, vision and character inspired his command to unparalleled levels of performance and achievement. Most notably, General Eberhart spearheaded United States and Department of Defense efforts to restore and revitalize spacelift operations. Since early 2000, Air Force Space Command has maintained 100 percent success rate for all military launches. Additionally, General Eberhart’s operational expertise and direction served as the foundation for the command’s unprecedented support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. His leadership and advocacy ensured America’s fighting forces have access to the full range of space capabilities in the global war against terrorism. Under General Eberhart’s stewardship, Air Force Space Command charged ahead in implementing the Space Commission’s recommendations. He orchestrated the organizational realignment to make the Space and Missile Center a key part of the Air Force Space Command team. The consolidation of space research, development, acquisitions and operations created an innovative center of advocacy to better meet warfighter requirements. Toward this end, General Eberhart also championed the continued integration of space-based capabilities into war games, modeling and simulation, and experiments, thus broadening the understanding of space systems and their importance to the warfighter. Finally, under his guidance, Air Force Space Command maintained the security and readiness of our vital land-based, nuclear deterrent force, with an average intercontinental ballistic missile alert rate of over 99 percent. General Eberhart’s actions over the past twenty-six months have set military space and missiles on a course that will ensure our Nation’s security for years to come. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of General Eberhart reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal to Major General Ralph Edward Eberhart, United States Air Force, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States. General Eberhart distinguished himself as Director, Programs and Evaluation, Headquarters United States Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia, from 11 February 1991 to 23 January 1994. In this important assignment, General Eberhart was a valued leader during a time of historic change. While establishing the Programs and Evaluation Directorate, he anticipated the fast-paced nature of post-Cold War fiscal challenges, he revamped how the Air Staff develops its programs–making it more streamline and giving the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force a range of decision options. These reforms were tested in two programming cycles and a time-compressed Budget Adjustment for the new Administration. The result was an Air Force resource allocation process that was more responsive, rational, and relevant. General Eberhart was a major player behind several initiatives: crafting the Air Force input to the Bottom-Up Review, representing the Air Force in the National Performance Review, developing an Air Force organizational blueprint, and building a Core Air Force model to assess force structure. Despite unprecedented challenges, his tenacity ensured a ready-to-fight, quality Air Force program. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of General Eberhart reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.