BRIGADIER GENERAL EDWARD M. "MIKE" MINAHAN

Brig. Gen. Edward M. "Mike" Minahan is the Principal Director for Middle East Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington D.C. He helps execute defense policy and national security strategy for 15 Middle East nations, to include Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. In addition, he coordinates with the National Security Council staff, Joint Staff, State Department, foreign government and U.S. embassies, and combatant commanders.

General Minahan graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1986. He has held numerous positions in operational flying units, and has served in headquarters staff positions at the unified command and major command levels. He has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels. While deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operation, he commanded a KC-135 squadron, a mobility operations group, and an Air Expeditionary Wing in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. Prior to assuming his current position, General Minahan served as the Commander, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia, where he was responsible for the wing's air refueling; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; air control and air battle management; theater security fighter and airlift support missions for overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia.

He is a command pilot with more than 4,200 flight hours, primarily in tanker, airlift and training aircraft.

EDUCATION
1986 Bachelor of Science degree, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1993 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1995 Master of Aerospace Science degree, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
1997 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2001 Air War College, by correspondence
2004 Master of Strategic Studies degree, Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2005 Senior Leaders Executive Course, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2006 Senior Leaders Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2007 Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1986 - September 1987, student, undergraduate pilot training, Vance AFB, Okla.
2. March 1988 - September 1993, KC-135 instructor pilot, Plattsburgh AFB, N.Y.
3. December 1993 - June 1996, wing executive officer, flight commander and C-141B instructor pilot, McChord AFB, Wash.
4. June 1996 - June 1997, student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
5. June 1997 - January 2000, counternarcotics operations officer, Operations Directorate (J3), U.S. Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii
6. May 2000 - June 2002, Commander, 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
7. June 2002 - June 2003, Deputy Chief, Commander's Action Group, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
8. July 2003 - June 2004, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. June 2004 - March 2006, Vice Commander, 305th Air Mobility Wing, McGuire AFB, N.J.
10. April 2006 - December 2007, Commander, 47th Flying Training Wing, Laughlin AFB, Texas
11. December 2007 - May 2010, executive officer to the Deputy Commander, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany
12. June 2010 - June 2011, commander, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia
13. August 2011 - present, Principal Director for Middle East Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1997 - January 2000, counternarcotics operations officer, Operations Directorate (J3), U.S. Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii, as a major
2. December 2007 - May 2010, executive officer to the Deputy Commander, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany, as a colonel
3. August 2011 - present, Principal Director for Middle East Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington D.C., as a brigadier general

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,200
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, KC-135, C-141, KC-10, C-17, T-1 and RQ-4

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 1986
First Lieutenant May 28, 1988
Captain May 28, 1990
Major Aug. 1, 1996
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2000
Colonel Aug. 1, 2004
Brigadier General July 3, 2010

(Current as of March 2013)