BRIGADIER GENERAL DARREN E. HARTFORD Brig. Gen. Darren E. Hartford, is the 29th Commandant of the National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington D.C. The mission of the National War College is to prepare future leaders of the Armed Forces, Department of State, foreign Military officer and other civilian agencies for high-level policy command and staff responsibilities by conducting a senior-level course of study with emphasis on the formulation and implementation of national security strategy and policy. As the commandant, General Hartford is responsible for formulating academic policies, supervising curriculum planning, preparation, and ensuring excellence in classroom teaching. Prior to his current assignment General Hartford commanded the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. He has previously served as the 437th Airlift Wing Commander, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, a vice wing commander and a squadron commander. He has also served on the Joint Staff, the U.S. Air Force Headquarters Staff, as well as serving on the Air Mobility Command Headquarters Staff. General Hartford is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours in C-5, C-17, and KC-135 aircraft. EDUCATION 1989 Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado 1994 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 1996 Master of Arts in Human Resource Development, Webster University, Ill. 2002 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2002 Master of Arts in Operational Art of Military Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2004 Air War College, by correspondence 2008 Master of Science in National Security Strategy, National Defense University, Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C. 2010 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center of International Studies, Seminar XXI: Foreign Politics, International Relations and the National Interest ASSIGNMENTS 1. July 1989 - September 1990, Student, Pilot Training, Williams AFB, Arizona 2. January 1991 - May 1995, C-5 Pilot, Flight Examiner Aircraft Commander and Air Refueling Instructor, 22nd Airlift Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif. 3. May 1995 - May 1996, Major Command Chief of Regional Operations, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Tanker Airlift Control Center, Scott AFB, Ill. 4. May 1996 - August 1997, Force Structure Programming Officer, Directorate of Plans, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 5. August 1997 - July 2001, Flight Commander, Chief of Squadron Standardization and Evaluation, Chief of Group Standardization and Evaluation, Squadron Assistant Operations Officer, 99th Air Refueling Squadron, 19th Air Refueling Group, Robins AFB, Ga. 6. July 2001 - June 2002, Student Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 7. June 2002 - June 2004, C-5/C-141 Program Element Monitor, Global Mobility CONOPS Action Officer, Directorate of Operational Capability Requirements, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 8. June 2004 - June 2006, Commander, 93nd Air Refueling Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash. 9. September 2004 - February 2005, Commander, 28th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory 10. February 2006 - May 2006, Commander, 22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Manas Air Base, Kyrgyz Republic 11. June 2006 - July 2007, Chief, Senior Leader Management Office, Directorate of Manpower and Personnel, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 12. July 2007 - June 2008, Student, National War College, Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C. 13. June 2008 - June 2009, Chief International Negotiations Division, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. 14. June 2009 - October 2010, Assistant Deputy Director, START Follow-on Negotiations, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. 15. December 2010 - June 2012, 3rd Wing Vice Commander, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska 16. June 2012 - October 2012, Assistant Director of Operations, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 17. October 2012 - May 2014, Commander, 437th Airlift Wing, Joint Base Charleston, S.C. 16. June 2014 - June 2015, Commander, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar 17. July 2015 - present, Commandant, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington D.C. SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS Jun 2008 - October 2010, Assistant Deputy Director, START Follow-on Negotiations, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C., as a colonel FLIGHT INFORMATION Rating: command pilot Flight hours: more than 4,000 Aircraft flown: C-5A/B/C, KC-135R/T, C-17A MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters Air Medal with oak leaf cluster Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters Southwest Asia Service Medal with two service stars Kosovo Campaign Medal Humanitarian Service Medal Kuwait Liberation Medal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Kuwait Liberation Medal, government of Kuwait EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant May 31, 1989 First Lieutenant May 31, 1991 Captain May 31, 1993 Major Sept. 1, 2000 Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 2004 Colonel Sept. 1, 2007 Brigadier General June 16, 2014 (Current as of September 2015)