Maj. Gen. Craig D. Wills is Commander, 19th Air Force, Joint Base San Antonio–Randolph, Texas. The 19th Air Force is composed of more than 36,000 total force personnel and 1,608 aircraft assigned to 17 Total Force wings located across the U.S. He is responsible for and oversees more than 45% of the Air Force’s annual flying hour program that trains more than 32,000 U.S. and allied aircrew annually flying 29 different types of aircraft. The 19th Air Force monitors production and oversees top level instruction and flying operations through the multi-domain Flying Training Operations Center to monitor operations, manning, contracts, logistics and maintenance trends. The training encompasses entry-level undergraduate, rotary wing and remotely piloted aircraft pilots, combat systems officers, advanced 4th and 5th generation fighter pilots, air mobility and special operations combat crew training which ultimately provides fully qualified aircrew personnel to the warfighting commands.
Maj. Gen. Wills was commissioned in 1990 upon completion of the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Arizona. He is a Command Pilot with more than 2,500 hours of flying time, primarily in the F-15C and F-15E.
Prior to his current position, Maj. Gen. Wills served as the Deputy Chief, Office of Security Cooperation – Iraq, in Baghdad. He has held command positions at squadron, group and wing levels. He also served on the Pacific Air Forces, Seventh Air Force and U.S. Forces Korea staffs. He previously commanded the 39th Air Base Wing at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey; the 47th Operations Group at Laughlin AFB, Texas; and the 493rd Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom. He has been a Fellow at Harvard University.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, University of Arizona, Tucson
1997 Squadron Officers School, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2003 Master of Military Operational Arts and Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 Master of Airpower Arts and Science, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2009 Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2009 U.S. Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
2010 U.S. Air Force Leadership Enrichment Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2015 Joint Professional Military Education, Phase II, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2017 Combined Forces Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 1991–May 1992, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training, Mather Air Force Base, Calif.
2. May 1992–May 1993, Student, F-15E Initial Qualification Training, Luke AFB, Ariz.
3. May 1993–September 1995, F-15E Instructor Weapons Systems Officer and Assistant Chief of Weapons, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom
4. September 1995–March 1997, Distinguished Graduate, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Sheppard AFB, Texas
5. March 1997–August 1997, Outstanding Graduate, F-15C Initial Qualification Training, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
6. October 1997–August 2000, F-15C Instructor Pilot, Flight Commander, 71st Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
7. August 2000–August 2002, F-15C Instructor Pilot, Flight Commander, and Assistant Director of Operations, 2nd Fighter Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
8. August 2002–June 2003, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. July 2003–June 2004, Student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
10. July 2004–July 2005, Director, 7th Air Force Strategy Division, Korea Air Operations Center, Osan Air Base, South Korea
11. September 2005–July 2008, F-15C Evaluator Pilot, Assistant Director of Operations, Director of Operations, and Commander, 493rd Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, U.K.
12. Aug 2008–June 2009, Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
13. July 2009–July 2011, Commander, 47th Operations Group, Laughlin AFB, Texas
14. July 2011–July 2013, Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations, United States Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea,
15. July 2013–July 2015, Commander, 39th Air Base Wing, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey
16. August 2015–July 2016 Executive Officer to the Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
17. July 2016–February 2018, Director of Strategic Plans, Requirements and Programs, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
18. March 2018–March 2019, Deputy Chief, Office of Security Cooperation – Iraq, Embassy Baghdad, Iraq
19. June 2019 – present, Commander, 19th Air Force, JB San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
July 2011–July 2013, Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations (DJ3), United States Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea, as a colonel
March 2018–March 2019, Deputy Chief, Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq, Embassy Baghdad, Iraq, as a brigadier general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight Hours: more than 2,500
Combat Hours: 252
Aircraft Flown: T-6A, T-37, T/AT-38, T-43 and F-15C/D/E
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 11, 1990
First Lieutenant Oct. 14, 1992
Captain Oct. 14, 1994
Major Nov. 1, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2005
Colonel Oct. 1, 2008
Brigadier General Jan. 1, 2016
Major General July 31, 2019
(Current as of November 2019)