EADS North America
Arthur Lichte was appointed to the EADS North America Board of Directors in April 2010. Globally, EADS is the parent company of some of the most recognized brands in the international aerospace and defense sector, including Airbus, Eurocopter, Astrium, and Cassidian. The company’s North American division had annual revenues in 2010 of more than $1.3 billion and employs more than 2,200 people in the U.S.
Lichte retired from the U.S. Air Force on January 1, 2010, having achieved the rank of General in 2007. He completed his military service as Commander of the Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. The Command's mission is to provide rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America's armed forces, including aerial refueling, airlift, special air missions and aeromedical evacuation.
He previously served as Assistant Vice Chief of Staff and Director, Air Force Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., with responsibility for Air Staff organization and administration. Lichte also was the Deputy Chairman of the Air Force Council, and was the Air Force accreditation official for the Corps of Air Attachés.
As a command pilot he logged more than 5,000 flying hours in various aircraft, including the C-5, C-17, C-20, C-21, C-32, C-37, C-130, EC/RC-121, KC-10, KC-135, VC-25, VC-137 and UH-1N. In addition, his experience included headquarters-level assignments at the Strategic Air Command, Air Mobility Command, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Transportation Command.
Lichte earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Manhattan College in New York City in 1971, followed by a Master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California in 1978. He later received education at the Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, the National War College in Washington, D.C., the Program for Senior Officials in National Security at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.
Originally from the Bronx, N.Y., Lichte graduated from Cardinal Spellman High School and entered the Air Force in 1971 as a distinguished graduate of Manhattan College's ROTC program.
