Lia Disbrow spent the early days of her career tracking Soviet aircraft movements as an intelligence officer during some of the Cold War’s most tense moments. Thirty years later, she would oversee hundreds of thousands of Air Force personnel worldwide as the 25th Under Secretary of the Air Force—one of the Pentagon’s most senior civilian positions.
She is proof that defense excellence isn’t limited to those in uniform.
We highlight her 32 years of civilian and military service in our A Salute to Unsung Heroes of Defense series, presented by Women in Defense Michigan and Baker Engineering LLC.
Each month, we highlight women whose innovation, sacrifice, and service have shaped defense and national security.
Leadership at the Highest Levels
Lisa Disbrow’s service changed lives. As the 25th Under Secretary of the Air Force, she was in charge of around 660,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian Air Force members and their families worldwide and managed an annual budget of over $132 billion.
Disbrow served in the military until 1992. She was deployed with the U.S. Air Force during Desert Storm and Southern Watch. She continued serving in the Air Force Reserve, retiring as a colonel in 2008 with over 23 years of combined military service.
Her work with the military was far from over. She began her civilian career afterwards, holding multiple senior positions. She was the first woman to serve as the Senate-confirmed Financial Management and Comptroller of the Air Force. Then she became the Vice Director of the Joint Staff J-8 Directorate, advising the Joint Chiefs of Staff on warfighting capabilities and joint weapons system requirements.
From 2006 to 2007, she also served on the National Security Council at the White House, advising the staff on major policy issues across the federal government.
Disbrow retired from federal civilian service in 2017 after serving as Acting Secretary of the Air Force during the Presidential transition, paving the way for women in intelligence. She received the Distinguished and the Meritorious Presidential Rank awards, and the Department of Defense’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award for her extensive work.
Leaders like Lisa Disbrow embody Women in Defense Michigan’s mission. We empower women across the defense industry, recognizing that national security depends on diverse leadership at every level.
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