Maj. Gen. Erich C. Novak is the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. PACAF is responsible for Air Force activities spread over half the globe in a command supporting 45,000 Airmen serving principally in Japan, South Korea, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam.
Maj. Gen. Novak was commissioned through the U. S. Air Force Academy in 1989 and has served in a variety of flying units and has held command of KC-135 and C-130 special mission units at the squadron and wing level. He has extensive Total Force experience with all types of associations and was the Deputy Commander of the Joint Global Strike Operations Center and is experienced as a Joint Air Component Coordination Element Director for PACAF and 7th Air Force, as an Airborne Emergency Action Officer, as a Combined Forces Exercise Director. He has accumulated over 640 combat and combat support hours during 17 deployments supporting operations including Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Southern Watch, Restore Hope, Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector.
Prior to his current assignment, Maj. Gen. Novak served as the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, which provides strategic deterrence, global strike and combat support to U.S. Strategic Command and other geographic combatant commands.
EDUCATION
1989 Bachelor of Science, Economics, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1995 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2008 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence, Excellent Graduate
2008 Advanced Joint Professional Military Education, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2010 Reserve Component National Security Course, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2011 Master of Business Administration, Salve Regina University, Newport, R.I.
2011 Operational Strategy and War, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2012 Advanced Command and Staff Course, Shrivenham, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
2014 Combined Air and Space Operations Senior Officer Course
2015 U.S. Air Force Senior Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina, Raleigh
2016 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina, Keenan-Flagler Graduate School of Business, Chapel Hill
2018 School of Strategic Studies, Nuclear 400 Course
2021 Continuous Process Improvement for Executives, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2021 School of Strategic Studies, Nuclear Command, Control and Communication 400 course
2022 Air University, Combined Forces Air Component Commander Course
2023 Naval War College, Combined Forces Maritime Component Commander Course
ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1989–September 1990, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
2. November 1990–April 1991, Combat Crew Training School, KC-135 Pilot, Distinguished Graduate, Castle AFB, Calif.
3. April 1991–December 1994, KC-135R Standard and Evaluation Copilot, Aircraft Commander, Distinguished Graduate, Group Chief of Safety, 306th Air Refueling Squadron, 457th Operations Group, Altus AFB, Okla.
4. December 1994–February 1997, Chief Pilot, 97th ARS, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
5. February 1997–September 1998, Chief of Flight Safety and AMC Safety Officer of the Year, 92nd Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
6. September 1998–September 2002, Distinguished Graduate Initial Qualification, Assistant Flight Commander, Instructor Pilot, 79th ARS, Travis AFB, Calif.
7. September 2002–October 2004, Group Chief of Tactics and KC-10 Training, Formal Training Unit Instructor and Evaluator Pilot, Air Force Tanker Tactician of the Year 2003, 349th Operations Group, Travis AFB, Calif.
8. October 2004–January 2006, Chief of Safety, 349th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
9. January 2006–November 2006, Assistant Flight Commander, 79th ARS, Travis AFB, Calif.
10. November 2006–May 2008, Chief of Tanker Operations, 4th Air Force, March Air Reserve Base, Calif.
11. May 2008–July 2009, Flight Commander, Evaluator Pilot, 79th ARS, Travis AFB, Calif.
12. July 2009–February 2011, Commander, 927th Operations Support Flight, MacDill AFB, Fla.
13. February 2011–September 2012, Commander, 63rd ARS, MacDill AFB, Fla.
14. October 2011–November 2011, Commander, 921st Expeditionary ARS, Morón Air Base, Spain
15. October 2012–February 2015, Plans Director, United States Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii
16. February 2015–January 2017, Vice Commander, Wing Commander, 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson AFB, Colo.
17. January 2017–January 2020, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, 20th Air Force, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
18. January 2020–December 2020, MA to the Commander, Eighth Air Force, and Deputy Commander, Joint Global Strike Operations Center, Barksdale AFB, La.
19. December 2020–January 2022, MA to the Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale AFB, La.
20. January 2022–present, MA to the Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 2012–February 2015, Plans Director, United States Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, as a colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 11,000
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, KC-135R/T, KC-10A, C-130H, E-6B, B-52, B737, B757, B767 and MD-11F
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal with eight oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and twelve oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Combat Readiness Medal with nine oak leaf clusters
Air Force Recognition Ribbon
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal with star
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with star
Iraqi Campaign Medal with two stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service medal with 'N' device and four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Silver Hourglass with 'M' device
NATO Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal
(Current as of May 2024)