MAJOR GENERAL PAUL G. SCHAFER

Maj. Gen. Paul G. Schafer is Director, Plans and Policy, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany.

General Schafer received his commission in 1979 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. He is an A-10 pilot and a graduate and former instructor of the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School. His staff assignments include Assistant for Regional Affairs, Office of the Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, European and NATO Affairs. He directed the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff's Executive Action Group.

The general has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels, and he was also Commander of the Joint Warfare Analysis Center. During operations Southern Watch and Desert Fox, he commanded the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group in Southwest Asia. Prior to his current assignment, he was Director of Special Programs, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. General Schafer is a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours, primarily in the A/OA-10 aircraft, and he has flown more than 40 combat missions over southern Iraq.

EDUCATION
1979 Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering, cum laude, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.
1983 Master's degree in management, Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.
1987 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
1991 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
1994 Air War College, by correspondence
1996 Secretary of Defense Fellow, Northrop Grumman Analysis Center, Arlington, Va.
2005 Seminar XXI - International Relations, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
2007 Senior Joint Information Operations Applications Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 Black Sea Security Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1980 - December 1980, student, undergraduate pilot training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
2. January 1981- April 1981, student, lead-in fighter training, Holloman AFB, N.M.
3. May 1981- August 1981, A-10 Reserve Training Unit, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
4. September 1981 - July 1985, A-10 pilot, 76th Tactical Fighter Squadron, England AFB, La.
5. August 1985 - December 1988, A-10 instructor, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
6. December 1988 - June 1991, F-117A Program Element Monitor, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
7. June 1991 - June 1992, student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
8. June 1992 - July 1995, A-10 instructor pilot and operations officer, later, Commander, 357th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
9. July 1995 - July 1996, Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow, Northrop Grumman Analysis Center, Arlington, Va.
10. July 1996 - June 1998, Assistant for Regional Affairs, Office of the Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, European and NATO Affairs, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
11. June 1998 - July 1999, Commander, 332nd Air Expeditionary Group, Southwest Asia
12. July 1999 - June 2001, Commander, Joint Warfare Analysis Center, Dahlgren, Va.
13. June 2001 - February 2003, Commander, 355th Wing, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
14. March 2003 - November 2005, Director, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Executive Action Group, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
15. December 2005 - January 2006, special assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
16. February 2006 - July 2008, Director, Special Programs, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
17. July 2008 - present, Director, Plans and Policy, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1996 - June 1998, Assistant for Regional Affairs, Office of the Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, European and NATO Affairs, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a colonel
2. July 1999 - June 2001, Commander, Joint Warfare Analysis Center, Dahlgren, Va., as a colonel
3. February 2006 - July 2008, Director, Special Programs, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a brigadier general
4. July 2008 - present, Director, Strategy, Policy and Assessments, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany, as a major general

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,000
Aircraft flown: A-10, EC-130E/H and HH-60G

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with bronze star

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Outstanding graduate, academic award, Class 84BIV, A-10 Fighter Weapons School
Lance P. Sijan Leadership Award, Senior officer recipient - 1999
Australian Ministry of Defense Commendation - 2008
St George Medal of Honor, 1st Degree, Bulgarian Ministry of Defense - 2011

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Nov. 17, 1979
First Lieutenant Nov. 17, 1981
Captain Nov. 17, 1983
Major Dec. 1, 1988
Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 1992
Colonel Dec. 1, 1997
Brigadier General July 1, 2005
Major General Aug. 2, 2008

(Current as of October 2011)