BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN W. "BILL" RUTLEDGE Brig. Gen. John W. "Bill" Rutledge is assistant chief of staff for operations, Headquarters Allied Air Forces Northwestern Europe, NATO, Royal Air Force High Wycombe, England. AIRNORTHWEST is a NATO principal subordinate headquarters collocated with Headquarters Allied Forces Northwestern Europe and with Royal Air Force Strike Command. He is the senior U.S. officer within the headquarters and is responsible for directing and conducting the work of the internationally-staffed Operations Division. He is also the deputy commander for NATO affairs, Headquarters 3rd Air Force, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. The general is a distinguished graduate of the University of Kentucky's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He was commissioned in 1969 and has served in a variety of operational and staff assignments in Europe, the Pacific and the continental United States. He has commanded an F-15 squadron, a tactical group, a provisional composite wing, a combined force air component and the United States' only high-altitude reconnaissance wing. He has served on the staffs of Headquarters North American Aerospace Defense Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Headquarters U.S. European Command and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. He is a command pilot with more than 2,800 flying hours, mostly in fighter aircraft.EDUCATION1969 Bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering, University of Kentucky 1974 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 1979 Master of science degree in systems management, University of Southern California 1983 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 1988 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 1992 Advanced Management Program, Managing Business Strategies, University of Indiana, BloomingtonASSIGNMENTS1. January 1970 - January 1971, student, undergraduate pilot training, Craig Air Force Base, Ala. 2. January 1971 - October 1971, student, F-106 combat crew training, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. 3. October 1971 - October 1972, F-106 fighter pilot, 95th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Dover Air Force Base, Del. 4. October 1972 - July 1974, F-106 fighter pilot, 4757th Air Defense Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. 5. July 1974 - December 1974, student, F-4 upgrade, 21st Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, George Air Force Base, Calif. 6. January 1975 - January 1976, F-4E fighter pilot and flight examiner, 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. 7. May 1976 - May 1977, F-4E fighter pilot and wing safety officer, 51st Composite Wing (Tactical), Osan Air Base, South Korea 8. May 1977- May 1979, F-4C fighter pilot and safety officer, Air Defense Weapons Center, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. 9. May 1979 - December 1980, F-4 weapons instructor and flight commander, USAF Interceptor Weapons School, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. 10. January 1981 - June 1982, chief, Operations Evaluation Branch, Office of the Inspector General, Headquarters North American Aerospace Defense Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. 11. July 1982 - June 1983, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 12. June 1983 - June 1987, F-15 pilot and assistant operations officer, then operations officer, and later, commander, 27th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Va. 13. June 1987 - May 1988, student, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 14. June 1988 - July 1990, deputy chief, later chief, Tactical Forces Division, Directorate of Plans, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 15. August 1990 - June 1991, deputy commander for operations, 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Zweibruecken Air Base, Germany 16. June 1991 - September 1992, commander, 39th Tactical Group, 7440th Composite Wing (Provisional), and Operation Provide Comfort Air Component, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey 17. September 1992 - July 1994, executive officer to the deputy commander in chief, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany 18. July 1994 - September 1995, commander, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, Calif. 19. September 1995 - September 1996, deputy director, Central Imagery Office, Vienna, Va. 20. October 1996 - July 1997, director, Customer Support Office, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, Fairfax, Va. 21. July 1997 - present, assistant chief of staff for operations, Headquarters Allied Air Forces Northwestern Europe, NATO, Royal Air Force High Wycombe, England, and deputy commander for NATO affairs, Headquarters 3rd Air Force, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, EnglandFLIGHT INFORMATIONRating: Command pilotFlight hours: More than 2,800Aircraft flown: F-106, F-4, F-15, F-16, T-38 and T-33MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONSDefense Distinguished Service MedalDefense Superior Service MedalLegion of MeritDefense Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal with oak leaf clusterAerial Achievement MedalCombat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clustersNational Defense Service Medal with oak leaf clusterSouthwest Asia Service Medal with service starAir Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clustersOTHER ACHIEVEMENTSCommander's Trophy, flying training and academic training awards, Air Training CommandEFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONSecond Lieutenant Dec 19, 1969First Lieutenant Jun 19, 1971Captain Feb 1, 1973Major Oct 1, 1982Lieutenant Colonel Mar 1, 1985Colonel Oct 1, 1989Brigadier General Oct 1, 1994 (Current as of September 1998)