LIEUTENANT GENERAL DONALD L. PETERSON Lt. Gen. Donald L. Peterson is deputy chief of staff for personnel, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He serves as the senior Air Force officer responsible for comprehensive plans and policies covering all life cycles of military and civilian personnel management, which include military and civilian end strength management, education and training, compensation and resource allocation.The general entered the Air Force in 1966 after graduating from Texas A&M University. During his career, he has commanded a tactical fighter squadron, a tactical fighter wing, a flying training wing, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command, Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center. His staff assignments include serving as a fighter operations officer and executive officer in the Air Staff, as chief of U.S. Air Force operations assignments, as a major command inspector general, as director of plans and operations at Air Education and Training Command, and as the director of plans and assistant deputy chief of staff for air and space operations at Headquarters U.S. Air Force. He is a command pilot, having flown more than 4,000 hours, including 597 combat hours.EDUCATION1966 Bachelor of business administration degree in finance, Texas A&M University1975 Squadron Officer School1980 Air Command and Staff College1982 Master's degree in management, Auburn University1982 Distinguished graduate, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.1988 The Executive Development Program, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.1995 Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.ASSIGNMENTS1. October 1966 - October 1967, student, undergraduate pilot training, Webb Air Force Base, Texas2. October 1967 - December 1971, EC/KC-135 aircraft commander, 71st and 913th air refueling squadrons, and assistant operations officer, 913th Air Refueling Squadron, Barksdale Air Force Base, La.3. December 1971 - November 1972, student, F-4E transition training, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.4. November 1972 - July 1973, F-4E aircraft commander and flight leader, 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand5. July 1973 - October 1977, F-4E instructor pilot, 309th Tactical Fighter Squadron; chief, academic instructor pilot; chief, current operations, 31st Tactical Fighter Wing, and assistant squadron operations officer, 307th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Homestead Air Force Base, Fla.6. October 1977 - July 1980, action officer, Tactical Division, Directorate of Operations, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.7. July 1980 - July 1981, assistant executive officer, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.8. July 1981 - May 1982, student, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.9. May 1982 - June 1985, F-15 operations officer, 22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron; commander, 525th Tactical Fighter Squadron, and assistant chief of maintenance, 36th Tactical Fighter Wing, Bitburg Air Base, West Germany10. June 1985 - July 1987, chief, Operations Officer Assignments Division, Air Force Military Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas11. July 1987 - July 1988, vice commander, 325th Tactical Training Wing, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.12. July 1988 - September 1990, commander, 27th Tactical Fighter Wing, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.13. October 1990 - February 1993, assistant deputy chief of staff for technical training, later, inspector general, Headquarters Air Training Command; commander, 12th Flying Training Wing and installation commander, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas14. February 1993 - April 1994, director, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, Colo.15. April 1994 - May 1995, vice director, NORAD combat operations and commander, Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, Colo.16. May 1995 - August 1996, director of plans and operations, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas17. August 1996 - November 1996, director of plans, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.18. November 1996 - August 1998, assistant deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.19. August 1998 - present, deputy chief of staff for personnel, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.FLIGHT INFORMATIONRating: Command pilotFlight hours: More than 4,000Aircraft flown: T-33, T-37, T-38, KC-135, EC-135, F-4C/D/E, F-15A/C and F-111DMAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONSDistinguished Service MedalDefense Superior Service MedalLegion of Merit with oak leaf clusterDistinguished Flying CrossMeritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clustersAir Medal with 10 oak leaf clustersAir Force Commendation MedalVietnam Service Medal with three service starsRepublic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with PalmRepublic of Vietnam Campaign MedalEFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONSecond Lieutenant Oct 19, 1966First Lieutenant Apr 19, 1968Captain Oct 19, 1969Major Jun 1, 1978Lieutenant Colonel Nov 1, 1981Colonel Nov 1, 1985Brigadier General Aug 1, 1992Major General Jul 1, 1995Lieutenant General Oct 1, 1998(Current as of October 1998)