Gen. Philip M. Breedlove is Commander, Supreme Allied Command, Europe, SHAPE, Belgium and Headquarters, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany.
General Breedlove was raised in Forest Park, Ga., and was commissioned in 1977 as a distinguished graduate of Georgia Tech's ROTC program. He has been assigned to numerous operational, command and staff positions, and has completed nine overseas tours, including two remote tours. He has commanded a fighter squadron, an operations group, three fighter wings, and a numbered air force. Additionally, he has served as Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. Operations Officer in the Pacific Command Division on the Joint Staff; Executive Officer to the Commander of Headquarters Air Combat Command; the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force; and Vice Director for Strategic Plans and Policy on the Joint Staff.
Prior to assuming his current position, General Breedlove served as the Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, U.S. Air Forces Africa; Commander, Air Component Command, Ramstein; and Director, Joint Air Power Competence Centre, Kalkar, Germany. He was responsible for Air Forces activities, conducted through 3rd Air Force, in an area of operations covering more than 19 million square miles. This area included 105 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. As Vice Chief, he presided over the Air Staff and served as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Requirements Oversight Council and Deputy Advisory Working Group. He assisted the Chief of Staff with organizing, training, and equipping of 680,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. General Breedlove has flown combat missions in Operation Joint Forge/Joint Guardian. He is a command pilot with 3,500 flying hours, primarily in the F-16.
EDUCATION
1977 Bachelor's degree in civil engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
1982 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1991 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1991 Master of Science degree in aeronautical technology, Arizona State University
1995 Master's degree in national security studies, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2002 Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 1978 - March 1979, student, undergraduate pilot training, Williams AFB, Ariz.
2. March 1979 - August 1979, pilot instructor training, Randolph AFB, Texas
3. August 1979 - January 1983, T-37 instructor pilot, evaluation flight examiner and runway supervisory unit controller, Williams AFB, Ariz.
4. January 1983 - September 1983, F-16 student pilot, MacDill AFB, Fla.
5. September 1983 - January 1985, F-16 aircraft commander and instructor pilot, 614th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Torrejon AB, Spain
6. January 1985 - March 1987, air liaison officer, 602nd Air Support Operations Group, Kitzingen AB, West Germany
7. March 1987 - January 1988, F-16 pilot, 526th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ramstein AB, West Germany
8. January 1988 - August 1988, Chief of Flight Safety, 316th Air Division, Ramstein AB, West Germany
9. August 1988 - August 1990, F-16 flight commander, then assistant operations officer, 512th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
10. August 1990 - July 1991, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
11. July 1991 - May 1993, Chief of Air Operations, United Nations Command and Republic of Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command, Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea
12. May 1993 - July 1994, Commander, 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan AB, South Korea
13. July 1994 - June 1995, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
14. June 1995 - July 1997, operations officer, U.S. Pacific Command Division, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
15. July 1997 - June 1999, Commander, 27th Operations Group, Cannon AFB, N.M.
16. June 1999 - May 2000, executive officer to the Commander, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
17. May 2000 - May 2001, Commander, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, South Korea
18. June 2001 - June 2002, senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
19. June 2002 - June 2004, Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz.
20. June 2004 - June 2005, Commander, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy
21. June 2005 - October 2006, Vice Commander, 16th Air Force, Ramstein AB, Germany
22. October 2006 - July 2008, Vice Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
23. July 2008 - August 2009, Commander, 3rd Air Force, Ramstein AB, Germany
24. August 2009 - January 2011, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
25. January 2011 - July 2012, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
26. July 2012 – May 2013, Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Africa; Commander, Air Component Command, Ramstein Air Base, Germany; and Director, Joint Air Power Competency Center, Ramstein AB Germany
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1991 - May 1993, Chief of Air Operations, United Nations Command and Republic of Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command, Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea, as a major
2. June 1995 - July 1997, operations officer, U.S. Pacific Command Division, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
3. October 2006 - July 2008, Vice Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a major general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,500
Aircraft flown: F-16, T-37 and C-21
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Service Medal wiht oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
NATO Meritorious Service Medal
National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal
The Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award
The Great Cross of the Order of the Crown
Order of Duke Trpimir with Neck Badge and Morning Star
The Order of the Cross of the Eagle, First Class
The Order of the Golden Fleece
Commanders' Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit with Star Military Division
Order of the Merit of the Italian Public
The Commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of Viesturs
Cross of Commander of the Order for Merits to Lithuania
The Fraternity of Arms Award
Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit, Republic of Poland
The National Order of the Star of Romania, in Rank of Grand Officer - No 46
Grand Cross of Aeronautical Merit-White
The Order Knight Yaroslav The Knight V Grade No 0671
Decoration of Honor "Glory and Honor"
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 1, 1977
First Lieutenant Dec. 10, 1979
Captain Dec. 10, 1981
Major Nov. 1, 1988
Lieutenant Colonel June 1, 1993
Colonel Jan. 1, 1998
Brigadier General Oct. 1, 2003
Major General June 23, 2006
Lieutenant General July 21, 2008
General Jan. 14, 2011
(Current as of October 2014)