Lawrence D. Johnston was born on April 28, 1947, in Oklahoma, United States. His professional life developed during a period when the United States Air Force was expanding tactical aviation, advanced pilot training, and command systems shaped by the Vietnam War and the Cold War.
Johnston received a Bachelor of Science in economics from Oklahoma State University in 1970. The university, founded in 1890 as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, developed as a land-grant institution with programs combining liberal education, applied science, and professional preparation.
He completed Squadron Officer School in 1975, earned a Master of Science in management from Troy State University in 1979, and graduated from Air Command and Staff College in 1982. Squadron Officer School and Air Command and Staff College are professional military-education institutions of the United States Air Force, designed to prepare officers for increasing leadership and staff responsibilities.
Johnston studied at National Defense University in 1982 and received a Master of Science in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in 1990. The Naval War College, established in 1884 in Newport, Rhode Island, is a senior institution for the study of maritime strategy, national security, and joint military affairs.
He also completed Harvard University programs for senior officials in national security in 1992 and senior executives in national and international security in 1997. Harvard University, founded in 1636, has long provided advanced instruction and research in government, international affairs, and public policy.
Johnston received his commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force in 1970. The Air Force, established as an independent military service in 1947, operates air and space forces and provides the United States with organized capabilities for air combat, mobility, reconnaissance, and command support.
From 1971 to 1972, he served as an F-4 flight leader and fast forward air controller with the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand. He then served as an F-4 instructor with the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing at George Air Force Base, California, from 1972 to 1975. These assignments placed him in the tactical fighter training system that had expanded during the Vietnam War.
At Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, Johnston was an F-4 fighter weapons instructor, flight commander, and chief of wing weapons and tactics with the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing from 1975 to 1978. He continued as a fighter weapons instructor and chief of weapons training with the 406th Tactical Fighter Training Wing at Zaragoza Air Base, Spain, from 1978 to 1979. Fighter weapons and tactics offices developed and evaluated methods for employing combat aircraft and preparing aircrews for operational missions.
He served as a staff action officer at Headquarters United States Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, from 1980 to 1981. From 1982 to 1987, he held successive positions with the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, including chief of wing weapons and tactics, assistant operations officer, operations officer, and F-16 squadron commander. Nellis became a major center for fighter tactics, weapons training, and large-scale air combat exercises.
Johnston was director of assignments at Headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, from 1987 to 1989. Tactical Air Command was a principal Air Force command responsible for organizing, training, and equipping combat air forces during the Cold War. In 1990 and 1991, he served as commandant of the United States Air Force Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, an institution associated with advanced instruction in fighter employment and tactical leadership.
From 1991 to 1993, Johnston was vice commander of the 363rd Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. He then served as vice commander and commander of the Army-Air Force Center for Low Intensity Conflict at Langley Air Force Base from 1993 to 1995. The center addressed military planning and operations involving conflicts below the level of conventional major war, including coordination between Army and Air Force organizations.
Johnston commanded the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, from 1995 to 1996 and the 347th Wing at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, from 1996 to 1998. He subsequently served as director of plans and programs at Headquarters Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base from 1998 to 2000. Air Combat Command, created in 1992, brought together major elements of the Air Force's combat air forces and emphasized readiness, global operations, and the integration of tactical capabilities.
From 2000 to 2002, Johnston commanded the Air Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, while serving as a major general. The center coordinated advanced operational testing, tactics development, and training for the Air Force's combat forces. He retired from active service in 2002 and later remained associated with the Nellis aviation community as a retired major general.
Quotes from others about the person
At a 2009 promotion ceremony at Nellis Air Force Base, Johnston spoke about the career and leadership of Major General Ted Kresge, emphasizing Kresge's initiative during the response to the September 11, 2001, attacks.
