Lt. Gen. Brooks L. Bash is Vice Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. The command is responsible for the U.S. Air Force's air mobility strategic transportation mission with a fleet of over 1,160 aircraft. AMC provides rapid, flexible, global reach for America from 12 major air installations in the U.S. and nearly 100 locations worldwide. More than 118,000 active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Airmen comprise the total-force air mobility community, providing combat delivery, strategic airlift, air refueling, and aeromedical evacuation, Presidential and senior leader air transport in support of national interests.
General Bash began his military career as a 1981 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has been an operational commander at the squadron, group, wing and task force levels. The general served as the Deputy Executive Secretary for the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President under the Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations. Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Director for Logistics, The Joint Staff. He also served as the Pacific Air Forces Vice Commander, and in 2011 deployed as the Pacific Command Air Component Coordination Element during Operation Tomodachi supporting the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation relief efforts.
General Bash has deployed as Commander, 4413th Air Refueling Squadron in support of Operation Southern Watch; as the Deputy Director of Mobility Forces in support of mobility operations for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom; and in 2005 he was the Director of Mobility Forces for Operation Unified Assistance supporting tsunami relief efforts throughout South Asia. He also served and was awarded the Bronze Star while the Commander, 321st Air Expeditionary Wing and Commander, Coalition Air Force Training Team while deployed to Baghdad, Iraq.
EDUCATION
1981 Bachelor of Science in Management, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1986 Master of Science in Administration, Central Michigan University, with Honors
1987 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1990 Distinguished graduate, Combat Aircrew Training School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
1992 Distinguished graduate, College of Naval Command and Staff, Newport R.I.
1992 Master of Arts in national security and strategic studies, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
1993 School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1993 Master of Arts and Science in Airpower Studies, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1995 Air War College, by correspondence
1997 Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa., Distinguished writing award recipient
2003 Advanced Mgt Program, Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, Pa.
2003 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2009 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Fellow, Pinnacle Course, National Defense University, Ft. Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1981 - June 1982, student, undergraduate pilot training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
2. July 1982 - September 1987, C-141B flight examiner, 6th Military Airlift Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J.
3. September 1987 - October 1988, air staff training, Checkmate and Air Force Issues Team, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
4. November 1988 - June 1991, Chief, Squadron Standardization and Evaluation, and wing Prime Nuclear Airlift Force Program Manager, 86th Military Airlift Squadron, 60th Military Airlift Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
5. July 1991 - June 1992, student, Naval Command and Staff College, Newport, R.I.
6. June 1992 - June 1993, student, School of Advance Airpower Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
7. July 1993 - December 1993, Chief, Strategic Concepts, Plans and Programs, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
8. January 1994 - December 1994, executive officer to the Vice Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
9. December 1994 - May 1995, executive officer to the Commander, 15th Air Force, Travis AFB, Calif.
10. May 1995 - June 1997, Commander, 6th Air Refueling Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif. (July – August 1995, Commander, Tanker Task Force, Operation Desert Strike, Southwest Asia; December 1996 - March 1997, Commander, 4413th Air Refueling Squadron Southwest Asia)
11. July 1997 - June 1998, student, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
12. July 1998 - January 2000, Commander, 89th Operations Group, Andrews AFB, Md.
13. January 2000 - May 2002, Deputy Executive Secretary, National Security Council, Executive Office of the President, Washington, D.C.
14. June 2002 - October 2004, Commander, 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston, S.C. (December 2003 - April 2004, Deputy Director of Mobility Forces, U.S. Central Command Combined Air Operations Center, Southwest Asia)
15. October 2004 - September 2006, Commander, 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, Travis AFB, Calif. (January 2005, Director of Mobility Forces, Operation Unified Assistance, Hickam AFB Hawaii)
16. September 2006 - March 2008, Director of Combat and Information Operations, Global Operations Directorate, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
17. March 2008 - January 2009, Commander, Coalition Air Force Transition Team, and Commander, 321st Air Expeditionary Wing, Baghdad, Iraq.
18. February 2009 - September 2010, Director of Operations, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
19. September 2010 - August 2011, Vice Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
20. September 2011 - August 2013, Director for Logistics, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
21. August 2013 - present, Vice Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2000 - May 2002, Deputy Executive Secretary, National Security Council, Executive Office of the President, Washington, D.C., as a colonel
2. September 2006 - March 2008, Director of Combat and Information Operations, Global Operations Directorate, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb., as a brigadier general
3. March 2008 - January 2009, Commander, Coalition Air Force Transition Team, and Commander, 321st Air Expeditionary Wing, Baghdad, Iraq, as a brigadier general and major general
4. September 2011 – August 2013, Director for Logistics, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 6,700
Combat hours: 153
Aircraft flown: C-17A, KC-10A, C-141B, C-5, C-130J, C-9A/C, C-20B/H, C-21, C-32, C-37, T-37, T-38, UH-1N, UH-1HP, Mi-17, King Air 350, C-208, C-172, E-6B, and OH-58
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 27, 1981
First Lieutenant May 27, 1983
Captain May 27, 1985
Major Oct. 1, 1991
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 1994
Colonel Sept. 1, 1998
Brigadier General Oct. 1, 2005
Major General Dec. 9, 2008
Lieutenant General Sept. 9, 2011
(Current as of April 2015)