Selected for promotion to major general and reassignment as Commander, 19th Air Force, Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas

Brig. Gen. James B. Hecker is the Commander, 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan. The 18th Wing, the largest combat wing in the U.S. Air Force, provides the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, trained and equipped tactical air superiority forces; combat search and rescue forces; command and control platforms; aeromedical evacuation capability; and global mobility resources for contingency operations. The wing flies the F-15C, KC-135, HH-60 and E-3 aircraft. Additionally, the wing provides the 5th Air Force Commander a responsive, staging and operational air base with integrated, deployable, forward-based air power.

General Hecker was commissioned in the Air Force in 1989 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. General Hecker was both a graduate and instructor at the U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course. While working as the Director of Operations, Operations Directorate (J3), U.S. Forces Japan, Yokota AB, Japan, General Hecker was responsible for coordinating both civilian and military disaster relief and humanitarian assistance during Operation Tomodachi, in response to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. He has also worked as a Military Legislative Assistant for Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott in Washington, D.C. and has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels. Prior to this assignment, he was the Commander, 432nd Wing / 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Creech Air Force Base, Nev. General Hecker is a command pilot with more than 3,200 hours in the F-15, F-22 and MQ-1.

EDUCATION
1989 Bachelor of Science degree, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1995 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1996 U.S. Air Force F-15C Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
1999 Master of Science in Aeronautical Sciences, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
2002 Congressional Legislative Fellow, Washington, D.C.
2007 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Master of Science in Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 National Security Studies Program, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1989 - November 1990, Student, undergraduate pilot training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
2. January 1991 - March 1991, Student, AT-38 lead-in fighter training, Holloman AFB, N.M.
3. March 1991 - August 1991, Student, F-15 replacement training, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
4. August 1991 - May 1992, F-15C Pilot; 8th and 9th Tactical Fighter Squadrons, Holloman AFB, N.M.
5. June 1992 - December 1995, Instructor Pilot, Flight Examiner and Chief, F-15C Standardization and Evaluation, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
6. January 1996 - June 1996, Student, F-15C Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. July 1996 - August 1998, Weapons Officer, 44th FS, Kadena AB, Japan
8. September 1998 - July 2000, Instructor Pilot, F-15C Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
9. August 2000 - September 2001, Senate Liaison Officer, Office of Legislative Liaison, Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.
10. October 2001 - October 2002, Capitol Hill Fellowship Program, the Government Affairs Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
11. November 2002 - June 2003, Assistant Director of Operations, 94th FS, Langley AFB, Va.
12. July 2003 - September 2004, Director of Operations, 27th FS, Langley AFB, Va.
13. October 2004 - May 2006, Commander, 27th FS, Langley AFB, Va.
14. July 2006 - May 2007, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
15. July 2007 - July 2009, Commander, 3rd OG, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
16. July 2009 - June 2011, Director of Operations, Operations Directorate (J3), U.S. Forces Japan, Yokota AB, Japan
17. June 2011 - May 2013, Commander, 432nd Wing, 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Creech AFB, Nev.
18. May 2013 - present, Commander, 18th Wing, Kadena AB, Japan

JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2009 - June 2011, Director of Operations, Operations Directorate (J3), U.S. Forces Japan, Yokota AB, Japan, as a colonel

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,200
Aircraft flown: F-15 A/B/C/D, F-22, MQ-1B

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal

EFFECTIVE DATE OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 31, 1989
First Lieutenant May 31, 1991
Captain May 31, 1993
Major July 1, 1999
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2002
Colonel Jan. 1, 2007
Brigadier General Aug. 2, 2013

(Current as of May 2015)