Maj. Gen. W. Alan Matney is Special Assistant to the Chief of Air Force Reserve, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia, supporting the Chief in his role as principal adviser on Reserve matters to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff. He concurrently serves as an Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for Headquarters U.S. Air Force, responsible for supporting the development and implementation of policy directly supporting global operations, force management, and training and readiness for the Air Force.
Maj. Gen. Matney began his Air Force career in 1992 as a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He spent over nine years on active duty in assignments as a pilot and personnel officer before joining the Air Force Reserve in September 2002. A Joint Qualified Officer, Maj. Gen. Matney has served in multiple roles in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, and Air Staff, including service as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He flew more than 900 hours in KC-10, C-27, T-1, and T-37 aircraft prior to leaving rated service in 1998.
As a civilian, Maj. Gen. Matney’s professional and academic work has focused on the intersection of religious understanding and national security, including service as Senior Advisor on Religion and Global Affairs at the State Department and, most recently, as U.S. Defense Coordinator for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, responsible for coordinating defense efforts of the 90-member Coalition with leaders from the Defense Ministries of Coalition partners. Prior to his current assignment, he served as Mobilization Assistant to the Deputy Commander of Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
EDUCATION
1992 Distinguished Graduate, Bachelor of Science, Political Science (German minor), U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2001 Master of Arts, Religious Studies, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
2003 Master of Public Administration, International Security, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2003 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2006 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2012 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2017 Joint and Combined Warfighting School (Joint Professional Military Education II), Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2020 Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
2024 Combined Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1992–November 1993, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese Air Force Base, Texas
2. November 1993–November 1995, C-27 Pilot, Howard AFB, Panama
3. November 1995–October 1998, KC-10 Pilot and Command Post Duty Officer, Travis AFB, Calif.
4. October 1998–October 2001, Chief, Military Equal Opportunity and Cultural Diversity, Defense Information Systems Agency, Arlington, Va.
5. September 2002–November 2006, Aerospace Strategist, CHECKMATE Division, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
6. November 2006–March 2009, Aerospace Strategist, Strategy, Concepts, Wargaming Division, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
7. March 2009–January 2013, Political Military Planner, Deputy Directorate for Trans-Regional Policy, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate (J5), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
8. January 2013–May 2014, Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chairman’s Action Group, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
9. May 2014–September 2016, Reserve Interagency Deputy Director, Weapons of Mass Destruction Elimination, Standing Joint Force Headquarters-Elimination, Fort Belvoir, Va.
10. September 2016–August 2018, Deputy Director for Technology Integration, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. July 2019–November 2020, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
12. August 2018–March 2021, Senior Military Advisor for the Defeat ISIS Task Force, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. (Concurrent with service as Mobilization Assistant from July 2019 - March 2021)
13. November 2020–September 2022, Mobilization Assistant to the Director, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. September 2022–June 2024, Mobilization Assistant to the Director, Requirements and Resources (J8), United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), Camp Smith, Hawaii
15. June 2024–March 2026, Mobilization Assistant to the Deputy Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
16. March 2026–present, Special Assistant to the Chief of Air Force Reserve, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. (Concurrent with service as an Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations from July 2026 - present)
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 2009–January 2013, Political Military Planner, Deputy Directorate for Trans-Regional Policy, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate (J5), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel.
2. January 2013–May 2014, Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chairman’s Action Group, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel.
3. May 2014–September 2016, Reserve Interagency Deputy Director, Weapons of Mass Destruction Elimination, Standing Joint Force Headquarters-Elimination, Fort Belvoir, Va., as a colonel.
4. September 2016–August 2018, Deputy Director for Technology Integration, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel.
5. August 2018–July 2019, Senior Military Advisor for the Defeat ISIS Task Force, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel.
6. September 2022–June 2024, Mobilization Assistant to the Director, Requirements and Resources (J8), U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii, as a brigadier general.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: former pilot
Flight hours: more than 900
Aircraft flown: KC-10A, C-27A, T-37 and T-1A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
(Current as of September 2026)