Maj. Gen. Gerald Donohue is the Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. He is responsible for policy, guidance and oversight of worldwide air operations and providing forces for rapid global mobility. These functions include airfield operations, Civil Reserve Air Fleet management and commercial carrier compliance, command and control and air operations center functional management. Additionally, he provides oversight on nuclear operations, global force management, air expeditionary forces, resource and readiness review monitoring, aircrew training, aircrew standardization and evaluation, joint exercise and commander’s training guidance.
Maj. Gen. Donohue entered the Air Force in 1995 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy. Upon completing pilot training at Vance AFB, Oklahoma, he served first in the C-9A community before transitioning to the C-130 community. In 2004, Maj. Gen. Donohue graduated from the C-130 Weapons Instructor Course. During his Air Force career, he has served in a variety of staff assignments at the major command, combatant command and Headquarters Air Force levels and had the privilege to command a squadron, a group and two wings.
Maj. Gen. Donohue is a command pilot with more than 4,600 hours including more than 720 combat and combat support hours. Prior to his current position, he was the Chief, Global Operations Center, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Illinois.
EDUCATION
1995 Bachelor of Science, Psychology, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
2000 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2006 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2007 Master of Business Administration, Touro University International, Calif.
2008 U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officer’s Course, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2009 Joint PME Phase II, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk Naval Station, Va.
2010 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 Master of Arts, National Security and Strategic Studies, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2016 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2019 Driving Government Performance Leadership Strategies, Harvard University, Boston, Mass.
2020 Leading Strategically, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2020 National and International Security Leadership Seminar, Washington, D.C.
2021 Combined Forces Air Component Commander Course, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2021 CAPSTONE, General and Flag Officer Course, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
2023 Enterprise Perspective Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
2023 Combined Forces Maritime Component Commander Course, Naval War College, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
2023 Senior Joint Information Operations Application Course, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2024 Combined Forces Land Component Commander Course, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
2024 Cyberspace Operations Executive Course, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1995–February 1996, Officer Awaiting Pilot Training, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
2. March 1996–May 1997, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance Air Force Base, Okla.
3. June 1997–March 2000, C-9A Instructor Pilot, Executive Officer, Training Officer, 75th Airlift Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
4. April 2001–December 2003, C-130E Instructor Pilot, Chief of Training, Wing Executive Officer, 36th Airlift Squadron and 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota AB, Japan
5. January 2004–June 2004, Student, C-130 Weapons Instructor Course, 29th Weapons Squadron, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
6. July 2004–July 2006, C-130H Instructor Pilot, Chief, Weapons and Tactics, 317th Operations Support Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
7. July 2006–June 2007, C-130H Evaluator Pilot, Chief, Standardization & Evaluation, 39th Airlift Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
8. July 2007–June 2008, Student, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
9. July 2008–May 2011, Chief, Lessons Learned, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
10. June 2011–June 2012, Commander, 386th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, Southwest Asia
11. July 2012–June 2013, Deputy Commander for Operations, 317th Airlift Group, Dyess AFB, Texas
12. July 2013–June 2014, Executive Officer to the Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
13. July 2014–July 2015, Student, U.S. Naval War College, Naval Station Newport, R.I.
14. August 2015–June 2017, Commander, 86th Operations Group, Ramstein AB, Germany
15. July 2017–June 2019, Commander, 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
16. July 2019–May 2021, Chief Innovation Officer, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters United States Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. June 2021–May 2022, Commander, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Udeid AB, Qatar
18. June 2022–March 2023, Deputy Director, Strategic Plans, Requirements and Programs, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
19. March 2023–May 2024, Chief, Global Operations Center, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
20. June 2024–present, Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2008–May 2011, Chief, Lessons Learned Branch, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. as a major then lieutenant colonel
2. March 2023–May 2024, Chief, Global Operations Center, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill., as a brigadier general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,600 hours including more than 720 combat hours
Aircraft flown: KC-135R/T, C-130J, C-130E/H and C-9A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Commendation Medal with one oak leaf luster
Air and Space Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
(Current as of September 2024)