Lt. Gen. Jerry P. Martinez is the Commander, U.S. Forces Japan, and Commander, 5th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Yokota Air Base, Japan and is the senior U.S. military representative in Japan. He is responsible for managing bilateral security issues, overseeing joint/bilateral exercises, administering the Status of Forces Agreement, improving combat readiness and enhancing the quality of life of 62,000 military and Department of Defense civilian personnel and 42,000 dependents.
Gen. Martinez was commissioned in 1986 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours in the C-17A, C-5B, C-141B and KC-135R. The general previously commanded the 62nd Airlift Wing, McChord Air Force Base, Washington, overseeing the Air Force’s only prime nuclear airlift force. His staff assignments include Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command, Brunssum, the Netherlands; Chief of the Joint Mobility Operations Center at U.S. Transportation Command; Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow with the DuPont Corporation in Wilmington, Delaware; and Inspector General, Headquarters Air Mobility Command.
Prior to his current assignment, he was the Director of Operations, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Illinois.
EDUCATION
1986 Bachelor of Science, basic science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1991 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1994 Master of Arts, business administration, Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.
1996 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2001 Air War College, by seminar
2003 Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow, DuPont Corporation, Wilmington, Del.
2005 Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1986 – January 1988, student, undergraduate pilot training, Vance AFB, Okla.
2. January 1988 – November 1993, KC-135 Instructor Pilot, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, and wing executive officer, Altus AFB, Okla.
3. November 1993 – June 1996, C-141 Instructor Pilot, Flight Commander and Wing Executive Officer, Charleston AFB, S.C.
4. June 1996 – June 1997, student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
5. June 1997 – March 1999, C-141/C-5 Program Element Monitor, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
6. March 1999 – July 2001, C-141 Operations Officer and Commander, 4th Airlift Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash.
7. July 2001 – June 2003, Chief, Mobility Systems Division, and Chief, Joint Mobility Operations Center, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
8. June 2003 – June 2004, Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow, DuPont Corporation, Wilmington, Del.
9. June 2004 – June 2005, Deputy Commander, 436th Operations Group, Dover AFB, Del.
10. July 2005 – March 2006, Vice Commander, 22nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell AFB, Kan.
11. March 2006 – January 2008, Commander, 62nd Airlift Wing, McChord AFB, Wash.
12. January 2008 – September 2008, Executive Officer to the Commander, AMC, Scott AFB, Ill.
13. September 2008 – February 2010, Inspector General, Headquarters AMC, Scott AFB, Ill.
14. March 2010 – April 2011, Deputy Commander, Political-Military Affairs, Combined Security Transition Command, Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command, Kabul, Afghanistan
15. April 2011 – June 2013, Director for Joint Integration, Directorate of Operational Capability Requirements, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
16. June 2013 – May 2015, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, the Netherlands
17. May 2015 – September 2016, Director of Operations, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
18. October 2016 - present, Commander, United States Forces Japan and Commander, 5th Air Force, Yokota AB, Japan. Also served as Interim Commander, Pacific Air Forces (May 2018 - July 2018).
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2001 – June 2003, Chief, Mobility Systems Division, and Chief, Joint Mobility Operations Center, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill., as a lieutenant colonel
2. March 2010 – April 2011, Deputy Commander, Political-Military Affairs, Combined Security Transition Command, Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command, Kabul, Afghanistan, as a brigadier general
3. June 2013 – May 2015, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, the Netherlands, as a major general
4. October 2016 – present, Commander, United States Forces Japan, Yokota AB, Japan, as a lieutenant general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,000
Aircraft flown: C-17A, C-5B, C-141B and KC-135R
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal (Air Force) with oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
NATO Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 1986
First Lieutenant May 28, 1988
Captain May 28, 1990
Major Aug. 1, 1996
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 1999
Colonel July 1, 2005
Brigadier General Dec. 3, 2009
Major General Aug. 2, 2013
Lieutenant General Oct. 6, 2016
(Current as of August 2019)