MAJOR GENERAL MARK S. SOLO

Maj. Gen. Mark S. Solo is the Commander, 19th Air Force, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. The 19th Air Force trains more than 32,000 U.S. and allied students annually. The training ranges from entry-level undergraduate flying training through advanced combat crew training, and ultimately provides fully qualified aircrew personnel to the warfighting commands. The 19th Air Force is composed of more than 24,000 Total Force personnel and 1,450 aircraft assigned to 11 wings and two independent training groups located across the United States.

General Solo was commissioned in 1978 after being named a distinguished graduate in the ROTC program at Michigan State University. Following graduation, he served in a variety of operational assignments as a C-141 pilot. While serving as a C-141B chief pilot in the 8th Military Airlift Squadron, General Solo commanded 26 combat support sorties during Operation Desert Storm. During operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, General Solo directed the Joint Logistics Operation Center at the Pentagon, where he coordinated all deployment orders to meet combatant commander requirements for overseas contingency operations. Prior to his current assignment, General Solo was the Commander, 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center, responsible for planning, scheduling, and directing a fleet of nearly 1,300 aircraft in support of strategic airlift, air refueling and aeromedical operations around the world.

The general is a command pilot with more than 5,500 flying hours in the C-141, C-5, KC-135, C-17 and T-1A.

EDUCATION
1978 Bachelor of Arts degree in social science, Michigan State University, East Lansing
1984 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1986 Air Command and Staff College, by seminar
1987 Master of Arts degree in international relations, Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.
1988 Master of Arts degree in management, Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.
1990 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
1995 Air War College, by seminar
1997 Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 1979 - April 1980, student, undergraduate pilot training, Reese AFB, Texas
2. September 1980 - October 1985, C-141 instructor aircraft commander, 7th Military Airlift Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif.
3. October 1985 - November 1986, protocol officer, Military Airlift Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
4. November 1986 - December 1987, Chief of Military Entitlements, MAC, Scott AFB, Ill.
5. December 1987 - July 1989, Chief of Officer Retention, MAC, Scott AFB, Ill.
6. July 1989 - March 1990, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
7. March 1990 - September 1991, chief pilot, 8th Military Airlift Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash.
8. September 1991 - August 1993, Chief of Safety, 62nd Airlift Wing, McChord AFB, Wash.
9. August 1993 - April 1994, operations officer, 60th Operations Support Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif.
10. April 1994 - October 1994, operations officer, 21st Airlift Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif.
11. October 1994 - August 1996, Commander, 22nd Airlift Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif.
12. August 1996 - July 1997, student, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
13. July 1997 - June 1999, Deputy Chief of Political-Military Affairs Division (J5), U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
14. June 1999 - January 2000, Deputy Commander, 436th Operations Group, Dover AFB, Del.
15. January 2000 - October 2001, Commander, 436th Operations Group, Dover AFB, Del.
16. October 2001 - March 2002, Chief, Mobility Division, Logistics Directorate, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
17. March 2002 - August 2003, Chief, Joint Logistics Operations Center, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
18. August 2003 - October 2005, Commander, 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus AFB, Okla.
19. October 2005 - May 2007, Chief, Office of Military Cooperation-Kuwait
20. May 2007 - June 2008, Deputy Director, Air, Space and Information Operations, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
21. June 2008 - July 2010, Commander, 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center, Scott AFB, Ill.
22. July 2010 - present, Commander, 19th Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1997 - June 1999, Deputy Chief, Political-Military Affairs Division (J5), U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla., as a colonel
2. October 2001 - March 2002, Chief, Mobility Division, Logistics Directorate, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C., as a colonel
3. March 2002 - August 2003, Chief, Joint Logistics Operations Center, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C., as a colonel
4. October 2005 - May 2007, Chief, Office of Military Cooperation-Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait, as a brigadier general

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 5,500
Aircraft flown: C-141, C-5, KC-135, C-17 and T-1A 

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Army Commendation Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 10, 1978
First Lieutenant Dec. 10, 1980
Captain Dec. 10, 1982
Major Dec. 1, 1988
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 1994
Colonel Sept. 1, 1998
Brigadier General Sept. 1, 2005
Major General  Nov. 21, 2008

(Current as of February 2011)