GENERAL NORTON A. SCHWARTZ Gen. Norton A. Schwartz is Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 680,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President. General Schwartz graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1973. He is an alumnus of the National War College, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a 1994 Fellow of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Seminar XXI. He has served as Commander of the Special Operations Command-Pacific, as well as Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, and the 11th Air Force. Prior to assuming his current position, General Schwartz was Commander, U.S. Transportation Command and served as the single manager for global air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense. General Schwartz is a command pilot with more than 4,400 flying hours in a variety of aircraft. He participated as a crewmember in the 1975 airlift evacuation of Saigon, and in 1991 served as Chief of Staff of the Joint Special Operations Task Force for Northern Iraq in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1997, he led the Joint Task Force that prepared for the noncombatant evacuation of U.S. citizens in Cambodia. EDUCATION 1973 Bachelor's degree in political science and international affairs, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 1977 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 1983 Master's degree in business administration, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant 1984 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va. 1989 National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 1994 Fellow, Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge ASSIGNMENTS 1. August 1973 - September 1974, Student, undergraduate pilot training, Laughlin AFB, Texas 2. October 1974 - January 1975, Student, C-130 initial qualification training, Little Rock AFB, Ark. 3. February 1975 - October 1977, C-130E Aircraft Commander, 776th and 21st tactical airlift squadrons, Clark Air Base, Philippines 4. October 1977 - December 1977, Student, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 5. December 1977 - October 1979, C-130E/H Flight Examiner, 61st Tactical Airlift Squadron, Little Rock AFB, Ark. 6. October 1979 - November 1980, Intern, Air Staff Training Program, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Operations and Readiness, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 7. November 1980 - July 1983, MC-130E Flight Examiner, 8th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 8. July 1983 - January 1984, Student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va. 9. January 1984 - April 1986, Action Officer, Directorate of Plans, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 10. May 1986 - June 1988, Commander, 36th Tactical Airlift Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash. 11. August 1988 - June 1989, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 12. July 1989 - July 1991, Director of Plans and Policy, Special Operations Command Europe, Patch Barracks, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany 13. August 1991 - May 1993, Deputy Commander for Operations and Commander, 1st Special Operations Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 14. May 1993 - May 1995, Deputy Director of Operations, later, Deputy Director of Forces, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 15. June 1995 - May 1997, Commander, 16th Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 16. June 1997 - October 1998, Commander, Special Operations Command, Pacific, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii 17. October 1998 - January 2000, Director of Strategic Planning, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 18. January 2000 - September 2000, Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla. 19. September 2000 - October 2002, Commander, Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and 11th Air Force, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska 20. October 2002 - October 2004, Director for Operations, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. 21. October 2004 - August 2005, Director, the Joint Staff, Washington, D. C. 22. September 2005 - August 2008, Commander, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 23. August 2008 - present, Chief of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS 1. July 1989 - July 1991, Director of Plans and Policy, Special Operations Command Europe, Patch Barracks, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany, as a colonel 2. June 1997 - October 1998, Commander, Special Operations Command, Pacific, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, as a brigadier general 3. January 2000 - September 2000, Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla., as a lieutenant general 4. September 2000 - October 2002, Commander, Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and 11th Air Force, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, as a lieutenant general 5. October 2002 - October 2004, Director for Operations, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant general 6. October 2004 - August 2005, Director, the Joint Staff, Washington, D. C., as a lieutenant general 7. September 2005 - August 2008, Commander, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill., as a general FLIGHT INFORMATION Rating: Command pilot Flight hours: More than 4,400 Aircraft flown: C-130E/H, MC-130E/H/P, HC-130, AC-130H/U, YMC-130, MH-53 and MH-60 MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Defense Distinguished Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster Army Commendation Medal EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant June 6, 1973 First Lieutenant June 6, 1975 Captain June 6, 1977 Major Nov. 1, 1982 Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 1985 Colonel Feb. 1, 1991 Brigadier General Jan. 1, 1996 Major General March 4, 1999 Lieutenant General Jan. 18, 2000 General Oct. 1, 2005 (Current as of August 2012)