MAJOR GENERAL PAUL M. "DUTCH" VAN SICKLE Maj. Gen. Paul M. Van Sickle is currently assigned Chief, U.S. Military Training Mission, responsible to train, advise and assist the Royal Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. In addition, the general serves as the United States Defense Representative responsible for the security and safety of more than 1,000 military and civilian personnel and their families assigned to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. General Van Sickle was commissioned in 1978 through Detachment 100, Air Force ROTC program at the University of Northern Colorado. He entered the Air Force Reserve component program in 1989 after 12 years of active duty service in a variety of operational fighter assignments. In the unit program, the General has seen duty as an instructor pilot, flight examiner, flight commander, detachment commander and Chief, F-16 Standardization and Evaluation with Headquarters 1st Air Force and the Vermont Air National Guard. In December 1997, after twenty years of operational flying assignments the general transitioned to the Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) program with an assignment to Headquarters North American Aerospace Defense Command as the Director of Operations Reserve Adviser; Battle Commander, Operation Noble Eagle. He later served as Vice Director of Operations, Headquarters U.S. Southern Command. He is a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours of flight time in the F-4, F-15, F-5 and the F-16. In his civilian occupation, he is an airline pilot for a major U.S. international flag carrier, United Airlines, with more than 8,000 flight hours and 24 years commercial airline experience. EDUCATION 1978 Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley 1980 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 1986 Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management, Golden Gate University, San Francisco, Calif. 1988 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence 1999 Air War College, by correspondence 2001 Reserve component courses, Naval War College, Newport, R.I. 2002 National Security and Decision Making Seminar 2008 Capstone, Washington, D.C. ASSIGNMENTS 1. March 1978 - November 1978, student, undergraduate navigator training, 451st Flying Training Wing, Mather AFB, Calif. 2. January 1979 - June 1979, student, F-4 Replacement Training Unit, Homestead AFB, Fla. 3. July 1979 - June 1980, F-4D weapons system officer, 497th Tactical Fighter Wing, Taegu Air Base, South Korea 4. June 1980 - December 1981, F-4E instructor weapons System Officer, 18th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Ark. 5. January 1982 - February 1983, student, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, 80th Flying Training Wing, Sheppard AFB, Texas 6. June 1983 - September 1983, student, F-15 Replacement Training Unit, Luke AFB, Ariz. 7. October 1983 - June 1986, F-15 instructor pilot and flight commander, 9th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Holloman AFB, N.M. 8. July 1986 - September 1986, student, F-5E USAF Adversary Tactics Instructor Course, 57th Fighter Weapons Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev. 9. October 1986 - October 1989, F-5B/E and F-16C Aggressor instructor pilot, detachment commander and flight commander, 527th Aggressor Squadron, Royal Air Force Alconbury and RAF Bentwaters, England 10. November1989 - August 1994, F-16A/C instructor pilot, flight examiner and detachment commander, 134th Fighter Squadron, Burlington, Vt. 11. August 1994 - November 1997, F-16A/C Chief, Standardization and Evaluation, Headquarters 1st Air Force, Tyndall AFB, Fla. 12. December 1997 - November 2002, Chief of Fighter Operations; Director of Operations Reserve Adviser; and Operation Noble Eagle Battle Commander, Headquarters North American Aerospace Defense Command, Peterson AFB, Colo. 13. December 2002 - November 2004, Vice Director of Operations; individual mobilization augmentee to the Director of Operations; and Battle Commander, Continental NORAD Region, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla. 14. December 2004 - May 2007, Reserve Director of Operations and mobilization assistant to the Commander, Headquarters USSOUTHCOM, Miami, Fla. 15. June 2007 - October 2008, Deputy Commander for Mobilization and Reserve Affairs, Headquarters USSOUTHCOM, Miami, Fla. 16. November 2008 - February 2009, Military Assistant to the Commander, USSOUTHCOM, Miami, Fla. 17. March 2009 - present, Chief, U.S. Military Training Mission, U.S. Defense Representative, Saudi Arabia, U.S. Central Command, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia FLIGHT INFORMATION Rating: Command Pilot Flight hours: More than 4,000 military flight hours Military aircraft flown: F-4, T-37, T-38, F-15, F-5 and F-16 Civilian aircraft flown: Mooney 231, F-28, MD-80, B-757, B-767, B-777 and B-747-400 MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters Joint Service Achievement Medal Air Force Achievement Medal Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with oak leaf cluster Combat Readiness Medal with four oak leaf clusters National Defense Service Medal with bronze star Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Korea Defense Service Medal Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" device and bronze hourglass OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS Distinguished graduate, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Academic Excellence Award, F-4 Replacement Training Unit, Homestead AFB, Fla. Distinguished graduate, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard AFB, Texas Distinguished graduate, Adversary Tactics Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev. 1999 Individual Mobilization Augmentee of the Year, Headquarters North American Aerospace Defense Command, Colo. Capstone Alumni PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS The Order of Deadalians Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Saint John's Military Academy, Alumni Association University of Northern Colorado, Alumni Association Florida Cattleman's Association Reserve Officers Association (ROA), Lifetime Member EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant March 24, 1978 First Lieutenant March 24, 1980 Captain March 24, 1982 Major February 4, 1992 Lieutenant Colonel Nov. 1, 1995 Colonel March 13, 2000 Brigadier General Aug. 14, 2006 Major General June 8, 2009 (Current as of August 2011)