Lt. Gen. Michael J. Schmidt is the Program Executive Officer and Director for the F-35 Lightning II Program. In this capacity, he leads the F-35 Joint Program Office in the life-cycle program management of the F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C, the fifth-generation strike fighter of choice for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, seven international partners, and seven current Foreign Military Sales customers.

Lt. Gen. Schmidt entered the Air Force in 1991 after graduating from Iowa State University as an Industrial Engineer and ROTC distinguished graduate. He served in numerous engineering, program management, and leadership positions. He worked as a Lockheed Martin program manager via the Education with Industry program. He served as Aide-de-Camp to the Commander of Air Force Materiel Command, both an Air Force Legislative and Appropriations Liaison, the F-35 Program Element Monitor, an advisor to the Afghan National Army, and commanded the 696th Armament Systems Squadron. Lt. Gen. Schmidt then served as Deputy for Tactical Aircraft Systems in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as Senior Materiel Leader for Contractor Logistics Support Division at Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. He also served as Program Executive Officer for Fixed Wing Programs at U.S. Special Operations Command; Program Executive Officer for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Special Operations Forces at Air Force Materiel Command; Program Executive Officer for Fighters and Bombers; and, most recently, as Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, and Networks. He is a graduate of the Air Force Legislative Fellows Program and the National War College.