BRIGADIER GENERAL ROBERT D. THOMAS Brigadier Gen. Robert D. Thomas is Commander, Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. General Thomas leads the training for 16,000 cadets in 145 detachments of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps; 1,900 trainees in Officer Training School; and over 120,000 cadets in 878 high schools supporting Air Force Junior ROTC. The Holm Center produces more than 81 percent of the Air Force's line officer, chaplain, judge advocate and medical officer production. In addition, General Thomas acts as a liaison providing assistance and oversight for the Civil Air Patrol in its role as the Air Force's official auxiliary. The Civil Air Patrol's 56,000 senior and cadet members operate a fleet of 550 aircraft, perform emergency services and provide cadet program activities and aerospace education support for federal, state and local customers. General Thomas entered the Air Force after graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1984. In addition to his flying and command experience, he has held staff assignments at Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Joint Special Operations Command, the United Nations and the Air Staff. General Thomas is the former Commander of the 6th Airlift Squadron, 572nd Contingency Response Group, 6th Air Mobility Wing and 92nd Air Refueling Wing. He has flown combat/combat support missions or deployed with ground-based special operations forces during combat operations in Panama, Somalia, Stability Operations in the Balkans, as well as operations Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. His most recent deployment was as Director of Mobility Forces, AFCENT, Southwest Asia, in 2011. Prior to his current assignment, General Thomas was the Commander, 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, Travis Air Force Base, Calif., and was the designated Director of Mobility Forces for Korea. EDUCATION 1984 Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 1989 Master of Science degree in systems management, University of Southern California 1990 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 1997 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence 1997 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan. 2001 Air War College, by correspondence 2005 Master of Science degree in national security strategy, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. ASSIGNMENTS 1. June 1984 - June 1985, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, Okla. 2. September 1985 - March 1990, C-141 Pilot and Instructor Pilot, 15th Military Airlift Squadron, Norton AFB, Calif. 3. April 1990 - February 1992, Wing Airlift Director, 63rd Military Airlift Wing, and Chief, Standardization and Evaluation, 15th Airlift Squadron, Norton AFB, Calif. 4. March 1992 - May 1994, Advanced Flight Training, C-141 Instructor Aircraft Commander and Wing Executive Officer, 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus AFB, Okla. 5. September 1992 - April 1993, Military Staff Planner, Secretariat, Headquarters United Nations, N.Y. 6. June 1994 - May 1996, Force Structure Programming Officer, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 7. June 1996 - May 1997, Student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan. 8. June 1997- June 1998, Chief, Joint Issues, Program Integration Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 9. June 1998 - May 1999, Chief, Mobility Program Integration, Global Mobility Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 10. June 1999 - January 2001, Operations Officer and C-5 Aircraft Commander; 436th Operations Support Squadron, Dover AFB, Del. 11. February 2001 - January 2003, Commander, 6th Airlift Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J. 12. January 2003 - June 2004, Director of Mobility Forces, Aviation Tactics Evaluation Group, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C. 13. June 2004 - June 2005, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 14. June 2005 - March 2007, Commander, 572nd Contingency Response Group, Travis AFB, Calif. 15. March 2007 - September 2008, Commander, 6th Air Mobility Wing, MacDill AFB, Fla. (deployed June 2008 - September 2008, Deputy Director of Mobility Forces, AFCENT, Southwest Asia) 16. September 2008 - June 2010, Commander, 92nd Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. 17. July 2010 - May 2012, Commander, 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, Travis AFB, Calif. (deployed January 2011 - October 2011, Director of Mobility Forces, AFCENT, Southwest Asia) 18. May 2012 - present, Commander, Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development, Maxwell AFB, Ala. SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS 1. September 1992 - April 1993, Military Staff Planner, Secretariat, Headquarters United Nations, N.Y., as a captain 2. January 2003 - June 2004, Director of Mobility Forces, Aviation Tactics Evaluation Group, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., as a lieutenant colonel 3. June 2008 - September 2008, Deputy Director of Mobility Forces, AFCENT, Southwest Asia, as a colonel 4. January 2011 - October 2011, Director of Mobility Forces, AFCENT, Southwest Asia, as a brigadier general FLIGHT INFORMATION Rating: Command pilot Flight hours: More than 4,500 Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, C-5, C-37, C-141B and KC-135R/T MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster Air Force Commendation Medal EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant May 30, 1984 First Lieutenant May 30, 1986 Captain May 30, 1988 Major Dec. 1, 1995 Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 2000 Colonel July 1, 2005 Brigadier General Aug. 2, 2010 (Current as of September 2014)