Brig. Gen. Kevin B. Schneider is the Chief of Staff, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. He is responsible for the development of plans, policies, and procedures to ensure efficient operation of the Headquarters PACAF staff and seamless interface with subordinate commands and agencies. He exercises oversight on command policy and program issues supporting three numbered air forces and 10 wings to provide ready air and space power to promote U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific region during peacetime, through crisis and in war.
General Schneider was commissioned in 1988 and earned his pilot wings from the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program. He attended the F-16 Weapons Instructor Course and later served as an F-16 Division instructor pilot at the Weapons School. General Schneider has commanded the 80th Fighter Squadron, the multi-national 80th Flying Training Wing, the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing and was the Director of Air Force General Officer Management. He also served as a member of a Special Operations Task Force tasked to conduct operations against the highest priority enemies of the U.S. Previously, he served as the Assistant Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, and the Assistant Vice Commander, 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.
The general is a command pilot with more than 3,800 flight hours and has flown more than 530 combat hours.
EDUCATION
1988
Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Sciences, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1996
U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2005
Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies, Marine Corps War College, Quantico Marine Corps Base, Va.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1988 - September 1989, Student, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, 88th Flying Training Squadron, Sheppard AFB, Texas
2. March 1990 - September 1990, Student, F-16 Replacement Training Unit, 72nd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, MacDill AFB, Fla.
3. November 1990 - November 1993, Instructor Pilot, 36th Fighter Squadron, Osan AB, Republic of Korea
4. November 1993 - December 1995, Instructor Pilot, Wing Weapons Flight Commander, 432nd Operations Support Squadron, then Assistant Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 13th Fighter Squadron, Misawa AB, Japan
5. January 1996 - June 1996, Student, U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course, F-16 Division, Nellis AFB, Nev.
6. June 1996 - May 1998, Weapons Officer, Chief of Weapons and Tactics and Flight Commander, 78th Fighter Squadron, then Weapons Officer, Chief of Weapons and Tactics and Flight Commander (concurrent), 55th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
7. June 1998 - May 2000, Instructor Weapons Officer, Chief of Special Projects and Assistant Operations Officer, F-16 Division, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. May 2000 - October 2001, Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
9. January 2002 - July 2003, Chief, 52nd Fighter Wing Weapons and Tactics, then Operations Officer, 23rd Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany
10. August 2003 - July 2004, Commander, 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan AB, South Korea
11. August 2004 - June 2005, Student, Marine Corps War College, Quantico MCB, Va.
12. June 2005 - May 2007, Action Officer, Western Europe and the Balkans Branch, then Action Officer, Eastern Europe and Eurasia Branch, then Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director for Politico-Military Affairs for Europe/NATO/Russia/Africa, J-5, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
13. June 2007 - December 2007, Senior Deputy Commander, 56th Operations Group, Luke AFB, Ariz.
14. January 2008 - July 2009, Vice Commander, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah
15. July 2009 - June 2011, Commander, 80th Flying Training Wing, Sheppard AFB, Texas
16. July 2011 - June 2013, Director, Air Force General Officer Management, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
17. June 2013 - June 2014, Commander, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia
18. July 2014 - May 2015, Assistant Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, and Assistant Vice Commander, 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force, Shaw AFB, S.C.
19. May 2015 - present, Chief of Staff, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2005 - December 2006, Action Officer, Western Europe and the Balkans Branch, then Action Officer, Eastern Europe and Eurasia Branch, then Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director for Politico-Military Affairs for Europe/NATO/Russia/Africa, J-5, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 3,800 with more than 530 combat hours
Aircraft flown: F-15E, F-16, T-38
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with six oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 1, 1988
First Lieutenant June 1, 1990
Captain June 1, 1992
Major August 1, 1998
Lieutenant Colonel February 1, 2003
Colonel September 1, 2007
Brigadier General June 2, 2013
(Current as of June 2015)