Brig. Gen. Matthew A. Leard is the Director of Plans, Programs, Requirements and International Affairs, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. He is responsible for planning and programming a $7.6 billion annual budget, which supports 60,000 personnel who recruit, train, and educate U.S. Air Force Airmen and international partners across 22 installations. He also develops AETC’s inputs to the Program Objective Memorandum, leads AETC Strategic Planning, and manages flying training and technical training operational capability requirements.
He also coordinates on, implements and executes Department of Defense and Air Force international training and education policies and programs. He provides functional oversight of active, Guard and Reserve organizations that provide flight and technical training, professional military education, and advanced academic degrees to more than 9,000 international students annually from 169 countries. In addition, he advocates for these organizations' budgetary and manning requirements, exercising executive-level management of a training and education programs budget of $650 million and military sales contracts with an open value of nearly $12 billion.
Prior to his current position, Brig. Gen. Leard was the Chief of Staff, Headquarters AETC. As Chief of Staff, he was the principal advisor to the Commander and Deputy Commander. He supervised implementation of command decisions, plans and policies for a staff of nearly 1,100 military members and civilian employees and oversaw the headquarters’ $255 million budget.
Brig. Gen. Leard is a 1998 graduate of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. He earned his commission through Officer Training School in 1999. His operational assignments have included wing, squadron and detachment command and staff officer duties at Headquarters U.S. Transportation Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force and Headquarters Air Mobility Command.
Brig. Gen. Leard is a command pilot with more than 4,500 hours in the C-17A, C-21A, C-5M, KC-46A, KC-10, KC-135R, T-1A, T-6A and T-37B. His deployed experience includes Expeditionary Airlift Squadron commander duties and numerous C-17A and C-21A combat missions in support of Operations Joint Forge, Joint Guardian, Northern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice and Political Science, Midwestern State University, Texas
1999 Officer Training School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2000 Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, Okla.
2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Program in Advanced Security Studies, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Garmisch, Germany
2010 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2011 Master of Military Arts and Sciences, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2019 Joint and Combined Warfighting School JPME-II, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2020 U.S. Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Kenan-Flagler School of Business, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 1999–May 2000, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance Air Force Base, Okla.
2. August 2000–June 2003, C-21A Instructor Pilot, Flight Commander and Scheduler, 86th Operations Group, Detachment 1, Stuttgart Army Airfield, Germany
3. October 2003–April 2007, C-17A Instructor Pilot, Executive Officer 437th Operations Group, Chief Operations Plans, Wing Plans, Assistant Chief of Tactics, 14th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
4. April 2007–June 2009, Programmer, Global Mobility Division, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
5. June 2009–June 2010, Execution Team Chief, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Executive Action Group, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
6. July 2010–June 2011, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
7. July 2011–September 2012, Assistant Director of Operations, 14th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
8. September 2012–February 2013, Director of Operations, 15th AS, JB Charleston, S.C.
9. February 2013–August 2014, Commander, 437th Operations Support Squadron, JB Charleston, S.C.
10. August 2014–June 2015, Chief, Force Development, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
11. June 2015–June 2017, Chief, Commander's Action Group, Headquarters U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
12. June 2017–June 2019, Vice Commander, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
13. June 2019–July 2021, Commander, 97th AMW, Altus AFB, Okla.
14. July 2021–June 2022, Director, Pilot Training Transformation, Headquarters 19th Air Force, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
15. June 2022–August 2023, Chief of Staff, Air Education and Training Command, JB San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
16. August 2023–September 2024, Director of Plans, Programs and Requirements, Headquarters AETC, JB San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
17. September 2024-present, Director of Plans, Programs, Requirements and International Affairs, Headquarters AETC, JB San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,500 hours
Aircraft flown: C-17A, C-21A, C-5M, KC-46A, KC-10, KC-135R, T-37B, T-6A and T-1A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Kosovo Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
NATO Medal
(Current as of October 2024)