Brigadier General RICHARD M. CASTO

Brig. Gen. Richard M. Casto is the Mobilization Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration, and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. Brig. Gen. Casto is responsible for developing the Air Force strategy and multi-domain operating concepts, integrating through centralized design, and validating and prioritizing operational capabilities-based requirements to achieve national defense objectives and deliver timely and effective capability to the warfighter.

Brig. Gen. Casto is a high honors graduate from the University of Florida and a distinguished graduate of their Air Force ROTC commissioning program. He served nearly 12 years in the regular Air Force as both an architect and pilot. He joined the Air Force Reserve in 1998 and has served in a variety of staff and flying assignments, including Air Reserve Technician, Squadron, and Deputy Operations Group Commander, Joint Operations Center Director of Operations, U.S. Pacific Command, and Vice Commander of the 932nd Airlift Wing active association. He also served as the Air Force Reserve Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow, Division Chief and Chief of Staff, Total Force Enterprise and Total Force Continuum, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements, Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Current Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia, Special Assistant to the Chief of the Air Force Reserve and Military Deputy, Total Force Continuum prior to his last assignment as Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

Brig. Gen. Casto is a command pilot with more than 7,500 hours of flight time in the C-141B Starlifter, KC-10A Extender, C-40C, MD-80, and A320 flying combat and combat support missions in support of operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom. In his civilian capacity, he is a pilot for a major airline.

EDUCATION
1986 Bachelor of Design, Architecture, University of Florida, Gainesville
1989 Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese Air Force Base, Texas
1993 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1996 Master of Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
2004 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2008 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2011 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
2013 Bachelor of Design, Architecture, University of Florida, Gainesville

ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1986 - April 1989, Wing/Base Architect Engineer, 56th Civil Engineering Squadron, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
2. April 1989 - September 1990, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese AFB, Texas
3. September 1990 - December 1994, C-141B Pilot/Instructor/Evaluator, 17th and 14th Airlift Squadrons, Charleston AFB, S.C.
4. December 1994 - October 1996, KC-10A Aircraft Commander, 9th Air Refueling Squadron and Chief of Special Missions, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
5. October 1996 - June 1998, KC-10 Combat Crew Training School Instructor, 60th Operational Support Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif.
6. June 1998 - January 2005, Squadron Scheduler (Air Reserve Technician), 70th Air Refueling Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif. (2003, Instructor/Evaluator Pilot, 908th Expeditionary Refueling Squadron, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates)
7. January 2005 - November 2009, Assistant Chief/Chief Pilot/Formal Training Unit Instructor, Assistant Director/Director of Operations, 70th Air Refueling Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif.
8. November 2009 - June 2011, Commander, 79th Air Refueling Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif.
9. June 2011 - February 2012, Deputy Group Commander, 349th Operations Group, Travis AFB, Calif. (2011, U.S. Pacific Command J3, Joint Operations Center Director of Operations, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii) (2011, Interim Group Commander, 349th Operations Group, Travis AFB, Calif.)
10. February 2012 - August 2012, Vice Commander, 932d Airlift Wing, Scott AFB, Ill.
11. August 2012 - August 2013, Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow, JPMorgan Chase & Co, N.Y.
12. August 2013 - March 2015, Chief, Total Force Enterprise Management Division, Chief of Staff, Total Force Continuum, Directorate of Strategic Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force,the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. March 2015 - December 2016, Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Operations and Readiness, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. December 2016 - May 2018, Special Assistant to the Chief Air Force Reserve and Military Deputy to the Total Force Continuum, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. May 2018 - August 2019, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
16. August 2019-present, Mobilization Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration, and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating:  command pilot
Flight hours:  more than 7,500
Aircraft flown:  A320, C-40C, C-141B, KC-10A, MD-80

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Silver and oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal with five oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Ribbon with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Longevity Service Award
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Device
Kuwait Liberation Medal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Kuwait Liberation Medal Government of Kuwait

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant July 17, 1986
First Lieutenant July 17, 1988
Captain July 17, 1990
Major Oct. 1, 1999
Lieutenant Colonel Oct. 1, 2006
Colonel Feb. 17, 2012
Brigadier General Aug. 24, 2016

(Current as of March 2020)