The Secretary of Defense of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Defense Distinguished Service Medal to Lieutenant General Howell Marion Estes, III, United States Air Force, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service contributing to national security and defense, in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States, as Deputy Commander in Chief, United Nations Command; Deputy Commander, United States Forces Korea; Commander, SEVENTH Air Force; Commander, United States Air Forces Korea; and as Commander, Air Component Command, from August 1992 to September 1994. General Estes’ insight, dedication and forceful leadership forged significant improvements in combined forces capabilities supporting the Korean armistice. He directed key military readiness initiatives which led to fundamental improvements in deterrence essential to maintaining the armistice. He played a critical role in strengthening United States military force capabilities through a series of readiness and training initiatives involving joint and combined air commands. During these complex and far reaching strategy and force posture shifts, General Estes provided exemplary and visionary leadership. Basing military strategy improvements upon the operational art of war, General Estes instituted significant air power enhancements at the strategic, operational and tactical levels. The distinctive accomplishments of General Estes reflect great credit upon himself, the United States Air Force, and the Department of Defense.

The Secretary of Defense of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal to Lieutenant General Howell Marion Estes, III, United States Air Force, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service contributing to national security and defense, in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States. General Estes distinguished himself by exceptionally distinguished service as Director for Operations, Joint Staff, from October 1994 to July 1996. General Estes ensured the Operations Directorate was a highly effective resource for the National Command Authorities. His outstanding leadership was a key element of the Department of Defense effort to execute varied and difficult operations worldwide. Particularly preeminent were his flexible, innovative responses to unforeseen crises including ethnic conflicts, peacemaking operations, and refugee migrations during Operations PROVIDE COMFORT, SOUTHERN WATCH, SHARP GUARD, ABLE SENTRY, PROVIDE PROMISE, DENY FLIGHT, JOINT ENDEAVOR, FULL ACCOUNTING, SUPPORT DEMOCRACY, RESTORE DEMOCRACY, VIGILANT SENTINEL, VIGILANT WARRIOR, RESTORE HOPE, PROVIDE RELIEF, SEA SIGNAL, ASSURED RESPONSE, and QUICK RESPONSE. His personal direction and involvement ensured outstanding support to the National Command Authorities, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the unified commanders. The distinctive accomplishments of General Estes reflect great credit upon himself, the United States Air Force, and the Department of Defense.

The Secretary of Defense of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Third Award of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal to General Howell Marion Estes, III, United States Air Force, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service contributing to national security and defense, in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States. General Estes distinguished himself by exceptionally distinguished service as Commander in Chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, from August 1996 to September 1998. General Estes confronted rapid and profound change — an era of strategic pause as prelude to a dramatic shift in the nature of war. He developed the NORAD Vision 2010 to chart the course for the command and dramatically increased effectiveness by restructuring NORAD to make it more compatible withy other warfighting commands. He foresaw the confluence of military, civil, and commercial space sectors as life on Earth became more inextricably linked to space. General Estes articulated a bold vision to ensure space would enable a new strategy for joint warfare based on much smaller force levels. He convincingly championed for new responsibilities to create a single military focal point to shape, prepare, and respond in the region of space. He helped streamline space management for the Department of Defense, better integrated all space disciplines, and ultimately brought a greater operational focus that made space more relevant to the joint warfighter. Recognizing space’s role as a military and economic center of gravity, his most important legacy to the nation was to lay the foundation for space to drive the evolving Information Age. His seminal Long Range Plan ensures access to and protection of United States interests and investments in the emerging area of vital national interest in space. The distinctive accomplishments of General Estes culminate a long and distinguished career in the service of his country and reflect great credit upon himself, the United States Air Force, and the Department of Defense.