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| Information > Biographies > MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM J. BENDER |
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MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM J. BENDER
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Maj. Gen. William J. Bender is Commander, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. The U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center is the Air Force's Center of Excellence for advanced expeditionary combat support training and education, while also providing direct oversight for en route and installation support, contingency response, and partner capacity building mission sets within the global mobility enterprise. The Expeditionary Center provides operational control of the Mobility Operations School and the Expeditionary Operations School, and administrative control for six wings and two groups within Air Mobility Command. These units include the 87th Air Base Wing and the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.; the 319th Air Base Wing at Grand Forks AFB, N.D.; the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing at Ramstein AFB, Germany; the 628th Air Base Wing at Joint Base Charleston, S.C.; the 43rd Airlift Group at Pope Field, N.C.; and the 627th Air Base Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
General Bender was commissioned in 1983 after earning a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Manhattan College. He has held staff assignments at Air Mobility Command and Headquarters U.S. European Command. His commands include an airlift squadron, an operations group, an air refueling wing and an airlift wing. He has also served as Vice Commander of the 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force. Prior to his current assignment, he was Director, Warfighter Systems Integration, Office of Information Dominance and Chief Information Officer, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
The general is a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours in the T-37, T-38, C/KC-135A/E/R, KC-10, EC-18B, E/KE-3A/B, C-141B, C-17A, C-130E and C-130J.
EDUCATION
1983 Bachelor of Engineering degree (electrical), Manhattan College, N.Y.
1986 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1989 Master of Arts degree in business administration, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Fla.
1995 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1996 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
1999 Air War College, by correspondence
2002 Master of Arts degree in national strategic studies, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
2005 Senior Leaders Executive Course, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2006 Senior Leaders Executive Course, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2010 Senior Managers in Government Course, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2011 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Combined Force Air Component Commander Course, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. December 1983 - November 1984, student, undergraduate pilot training, Vance AFB, Okla.
2. May 1985 - January 1989, KC-135 flight commander, Loring AFB, Maine
3. January 1989 - September 1992, wing executive officer, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
4. September 1992 - August 1994, flight test assistant operations officer, Tinker AFB, Okla.
5. August 1994 - June 1995, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
6. July 1995 - August 1997, joint staff officer, Current Operations (J33), Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany
7. August 1997 - April 1998, assistant operations officer and C-141 pilot, McChord AFB, Wash.
8. April 1998 - September 1998, operations officer, 4th Airlift Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash.
9. September 1998 - February 2000, Commander, 4th Airlift Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash.
10. February 2000 - July 2001, special assistant to the Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
11. July 2001 - June 2002, student, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
12. September 2002 - May 2004, Commander, 437th Operations Group, Charleston AFB, S.C.
13. May 2004 - March 2005, Vice Commander, 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, McGuire AFB, N.J.
14. March 2005 - July 2006, Commander, 319th Air Refueling Wing, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
15. July 2006 - December 2007, executive officer to the Deputy Commander, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany
16. December 2007 - July 2009, Commander, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein AB, and Commander, Kaiserslautern Military Community, Germany
17. August 2009 - October 2010, Director, Warfighter Systems Integration, Office of Information Dominance and Chief Information Officer, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
18. October 2010 - present, Commander, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1995 - July 1997, joint staff officer, Current Operations (J33), Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany, as a major
2. July 2006 - December 2007, executive officer to the Deputy Commander, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany, as a colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,000
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, C/KC-135A/E/R, EC-18B, E/KE-3A/B, C-141B, C-17A, C-130E and C-130J
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 22, 1983
First Lieutenant May 22, 1985
Captain May 22, 1987
Major March 1, 1994
Lieutenant Colonel Jan. 1, 1998
Colonel Aug. 1, 2002
Brigadier General Sept. 26, 2008
Major General Oct. 14, 2011
(Current as of January 2013)
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