Maj. Gen. Paul R. Fast is the Mobilization Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. Maj. Gen. Fast supports the Deputy Chief of Staff with developing the Air Force strategy and multi-domain operating concepts, integrating through centralized design, and validating and prioritizing operational capabilities-based requirements to achieve national defense objectives and deliver timely and effective capability to the warfighter.
Maj. Gen. Fast received his commission in 1991 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Miami University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He served on active duty from September 1992 to September 2001. During that period, he accumulated more than 1,000 hours in the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany, and Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. In October 2001, Major General Fast joined the Air Force Reserve as a traditional reservist. He has supported exercises and operations in the Indo-Pacific theater for 22 years. In 2023, Maj. Gen. Fast served as the Interim 36th Wing Commander at Andersen Air Force Base and Interim Deputy Commander of Joint Region Marianas, Guam.
Prior to his current Assignment, Maj. Gen. Fast served as the Mobilization Assistant to the Deputy Commander of Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii. In his civilian career, Maj. Gen. Fast is a Senior Project Manager in the NASA at the Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.
EDUCATION
1991 Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
1997 United State Air Force Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
1998 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 Master of Business Administration, University of Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nev.
2006 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2011 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2017 Senior Leader Security Seminar, Montross, Va.
2019 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2019 Senior Leader Orientation Course, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland
2019 Continuous Process Improvement for Executives, San Antonio, Texas
2021 Combined/Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2023 Latin and South America Regional Course, Washington, D.C.
2024 Leading Data and AI-enabled Organizations, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.
2024 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1992–March 1993, Student, Undergraduate Controller Training, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.
2. March 1993–May 1996, Instructor and Evaluator Senior Director, 729th Air Control Squadron, Hill AFB, Utah
3. June 1996–August 1999, Weapons and Tactics Officer, Flying Squadron 2, NATO Air Base, Geilenkirchen, Germany
4. August 1999–September 2001, Instructor/Flight Commander, 8th Weapons Squadron, United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
5. October 2001–October 2005, Command and Control Officer, Airborne Command Element, 701st Combat Operations Squadron, March Air Reserve Base, Calif.
6. October 2005–October 2006, Chief of Combat Operations Instructor, 505th Operations Group, Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. October 2006–April 2012, Flight Commander, Assistant Director of Operations, Director of Operations, Deputy Commander, 701st Combat Operations Squadron, March ARB, Calif.
8. April 2012–July 2012, Deputy Group Commander, 940th Operations Group, Beale AFB, Calif.
9. July 2012–May 2014, Commander, 701st Combat Operations Squadron, March ARB, Calif.
10. June 2014–April 2017, Vice Commander, 926th Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev.
11. April 2017–August 2020, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, 5th Air Force, Yokota AB, Japan
12. September 2020–October 2022, Mobilization Assistant to the Deputy Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
13. November 2022–present, Mobilization Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements (Air Force Futures), Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Air Battle Manager
Flight hours: more than 1,000
Aircraft flown: E-3A and E-3B/C
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal with one service star
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 5, 1992
First Lieutenant May 5, 1994
Captain May 5, 1996
Major June 14, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 2, 2007
Colonel March 9, 2012
Brigadier General Dec. 12, 2018
Major General Feb. 28, 2024
(Current as of November 2024)