MAJOR GENERAL JAMES A. HAWKINS

Maj. Gen. James A. Hawkins is Commander, 18th Air Force, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. As Air Mobility Command's warfighting numbered air force, 18th Air Force is responsible for tasking and executing all air mobility missions. It consists of 12 wings, three stand-alone groups and the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center.

General Hawkins graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1973. He has commanded the 23rd Bombardment Squadron, 2nd Operations Group, 319th Air Refueling Wing, 89th Airlift Wing and the Tanker Airlift Control Center. He has also served as Vice Director of the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C., and Vice Commander of the 18th Air Force.  Prior to his current assignment, he was Director of Air, Space and Information Operations at Headquarters Air Mobility Command. 

General Hawkins is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours in a variety of aircraft. He was selected to pilot the first flight test of a global positioning system-equipped B-52G over the North Pole in 1985. In August 1994, he served as an instructor pilot on Global Power 94-7, a 47-hour, around-the-world, non-stop B-52 flight - the longest bombing mission ever flown.

EDUCATION
1973 Bachelor's degree in engineering sciences, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.
1977 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1982 Master of Science degree in systems management, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas
1986 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
1992 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1995 Seminar XXI-Foreign Political and International Relations, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 
1996 Senior Officials in National Security Program, Syracuse University and Johns Hopkins University
1998 Executive Program for General Officers of the Russian Federation and the United States, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 1975 - March 1978, B-52H pilot, 5th Bombardment Wing, and aide-de-camp, 57th Air Division, Minot AFB, N.D.
2. April 1978 - February 1980, T-38 instructor pilot and assistant flight commander, 54th Flying Training Squadron, Reese AFB, Texas
3. March 1980 - February 1983, T-38 instructor pilot and assistant flight commander, 560th Flying Training Squadron, later, T-38 flight examiner, Air Training Command Standardization and Evaluation, Randolph AFB, Texas
4. March 1983 - December 1985, B-52G aircraft commander and instructor pilot, 325th Bombardment Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
5. January 1986 - June 1986, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
6. June 1986 - June 1989, Chief, Bomber Branch, Directorate of Operations, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
7. July 1989 - July 1991, Commander, 23rd Bombardment Squadron, and Assistant Deputy commander for Operations, 5th Bombardment Wing, Minot AFB, N.D.
8. August 1991 - July 1992, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. July 1992 - February 1995, Deputy Commander, later, Commander, 2nd Operations Group, Barksdale AFB, La.
10. March 1995 - June 1997, Chief of Staff, White House Military Office, Washington, D.C.
11. July 1997 - December 1998, Commander, 319th Air Refueling Wing, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
12. January 1999 - August 2001, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, Andrews AFB, Md.
13. August 2001 - December 2003, Vice Director, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.
14. January 2004 - December 2004, Vice Commander, 18th Air Force, Scott AFB, Ill. (August 2004 - December 2004, Director, U.S. Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center, Southwest Asia)
15. December 2004 - May 2005, Commander, Tanker Airlift Control Center, Scott AFB, Ill.
16. May 2005 - November 2005, Director of Operations, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
17. November 2005 - present, Commander, 18th Air Force, Scott AFB, Ill.

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 5,000
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, KC-135A/Q/R, B-52G/H, VC-137, C-32, C-37, C-21, C-20, C-9 and UH-1

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal with two bronze stars
Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait)

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 6, 1973
First Lieutenant June 6, 1975
Captain June 6, 1977
Major Aug. 1, 1984
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 1988
Colonel Dec. 1, 1992
Brigadier General July 1, 1998
Major General Jan. 1, 2002

(Current as of June 2008)