GENERAL WILLIAM T. HOBBINS

Gen. Tom Hobbins is Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, NATO Allied Air Component Command, Ramstein; and Director, Joint Air Power Competence Centre, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He has responsibility for Air Force activities in a theater spanning three continents, covering more than 20 million square miles, 93 countries and territories, and possessing one-fourth of the world's population and about one-third of the world's Gross Domestic Product. 

General Hobbins entered the Air Force in December 1969 as a graduate of Officer Training School. He has commanded a numbered air force, two tactical fighter wings and a composite air group. He has served as the Director of Plans and Operations for U.S. Forces Japan, Director of Plans and Policy for U.S. Atlantic Command, the Director of Operations for U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and as a Deputy Chief of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. As the USAFE Director of Operations, General Hobbins was responsible for the planning, beddown and execution of combat forces in Europe for Operation Allied Force. As 12th Air Force Commander, the 12th Air Force Air Operations Center deployed to Southwest Asia as operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom's alternate AOC. As Deputy Chief of Staff for Warfighting Integration and the Air Force's Chief Information Officer, General Hobbins developed and implemented the Air Force's C4ISR Roadmap for networks enabling predictive battle-space awareness and targeting. As Director of the Joint Air Power Competence Centre, he guided the development of NATO's C4ISR and Unmanned Aerial Systems Roadmaps.

A command pilot, the general has more than 5,100 flying hours, primarily in fighter aircraft.

EDUCATION
1969 Bachelor of Science degree in business finance, University of Colorado
1976 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1977 Master's degree in business administration, Troy State University
1981 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
1985 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1997 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1999 Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2000 National Security Leadership Course, Syracuse University, N.Y.
2005 Leadership at the Peak, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1970 - December 1970, student, undergraduate pilot training, Laredo AFB, Texas
2. December 1970 - March 1973, T-28 instructor pilot, 3389th Pilot Training Squadron, Keesler AFB, Miss.
3. March 1973 - May 1974, T-38 instructor pilot and class commander, 29th Flying Training Wing, Craig AFB, Ala.
4. May 1974 - May 1975, AT-28 fighter pilot and chief of quality control, Detachment 19, 1131st Special Activity Squadron, Udorn Royal Thai AFB, Thailand
5. May 1975 - October 1977, Chief, T-38 Standardization and Evaluation Division, 29th Flying Training Wing, Craig AFB, Ala.
6. October 1977 - July 1980, F-15 flight commander, instructor pilot, operations officer, and Chief, Wing Scheduling Division, 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron and 49th Tactical Fighter Wing, Holloman AFB, N.M.
7. August 1980 - January 1981, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
8. January 1981 - July 1984, F-15 operations monitor, F-5 Program Element Monitor, and Chief, Weapon Systems Branch, Tactical Division, Directorate of Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
9. August 1984 - May 1985, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
10. May 1985 - April 1987, Chief of Wing Inspections, 33rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla.
11. April 1987 - June 1988, Deputy Commander of Operations, 12th Flying Training Wing, Randolph AFB, Texas
12. June 1988 - July 1990, Vice Commander, later, Commander, Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland
13. July 1990 - September 1991, Vice Commander, later, Commander, 405th Tactical Training Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz.
14. September 1991 - June 1992, Vice Commander, 58th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz.
15. July 1992 - July 1994, Director of Plans and Operations, U.S. Forces Japan, Yokota Air Base, Japan
16. August 1994 - July 1996, Commander, 18th Wing, Kadena AB, Japan
17. August 1996 - April 1998, Director of Plans and Policy, U.S. Atlantic Command, Norfolk, Va.
18. April 1998 - July 2000, Director of Aerospace Operations, Headquarters USAFE, Ramstein AB, Germany
19. August 2000 - September 2002, Commander, 12th Air Force and U.S. Southern Command Air Forces, and Air Force Component Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
20. October 2002 - August 2003, Commander, 12th Air Force and U.S. Southern Command Air Forces, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
21. August 2003 - May 2005, Deputy Chief of Staff for Warfighting Integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
22. May 2005 - November 2005, Deputy Chief of Staff for Warfighting Integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and acting Chief of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.
23. December 2005 - present, Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, NATO Allied Air Component Command, Ramstein; and Director, Joint Air Power Competence Centre, Ramstein AB, Germany

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 5,100
Aircraft flown: F-15C, F-15E, C-20, A-10, AT-28 and T-38
Pilot wings from Cambodia and Vietnam

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
NATO Meritorious Service Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Order of the Rising Sun with Gold Rays
Mérito Aeronáutico en el grado de Comendador (Bolivian Armed Forces Order of Aeronautical Merit in the grade of "Commander")
Estrella de las Fuerzas Armadas en el Grando de Estrella al Mérito Militar, Ecuador (Star of the Armed Forces in the grade of Star of Military Merit)
Medalla al Mérito Aeronáutico, Uruguay (Aeronautical Merit)
Medalla al Mérito 1 Clase, Honduras
Cruz al Mérito Aeronáutico, Chile (Meritorious Air Cross Medal)
Cruz de la Fuerza Aérea, Guatemala (Air Force Cross)
La Medalla Legion al Mérito Confraternidad Aérea Interamericana (Legion of Merit, System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces)
Cruz de la Fuerza Aérea al Mérito Aeronáutica (Colombian Air Force Cross, Aeronautical Merit)
Orden de Mayo al Merito Aeronautico en el grado de Gran Cruz (Argentinean Air Force Cross)

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1976 Instructor Pilot of the Year
Air Force Association Citation
2007 Order of the Sword, USAFE

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Dec. 22, 1969
First Lieutenant June 22, 1971
Captain Feb. 1, 1973
Major Sept. 1, 1979
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 1982
Colonel April 1, 1988
Brigadier General July 15, 1994
Major General Oct. 1, 1996
Lieutenant General Oct. 1, 2000
General  Feb. 1, 2006

(Current as of January 2008)