Maj. Gen. Barry R. Cornish is the Commander, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. As the Air Force component to U.S. Southern Command, Air Forces Southern conducts security cooperation and provides air, space and cyberspace capabilities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Air Forces Southern supports U.S. Southern Command to deter aggression, defeat threats, rapidly respond to crises and work with our allies and partner nations to build regional capacity to ensure a secure, free and prosperous Western Hemisphere.
Gen. Cornish entered the Air Force in 1990 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program. He earned his wings at the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. He has served as an instructor pilot, weapons officer, operational test pilot and operations officer, and has commanded at the squadron and wing level. Gen. Cornish is a command pilot with more than 2,300 flying hours and is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School.
EDUCATION
1987 Bachelor of Science, Economics, University of Texas, Austin
1993 Master of Science, Strategic Intelligence, National Military Intelligence College, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington D.C.
1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1998 U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2005 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2008 Master of Science, National Resource Management, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1990–August 1991, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
2. September 1991–September 1992, Student, Air Force Intelligence School, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
3. October 1992–June 1994, Student, Joint Military Intelligence College, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.
4. July 1994–December 1994, Student, 54th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
5. January 1995–August 1997, F-15 Instructor Pilot, 54th FS, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
6. September 1997–July 1998, F-15 Instructor Pilot and Flight Examiner, 59th FS, Eglin AFB, Fla.
7. July 1998–December 1998, Student, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. January 1999–August 2000, F-15 Weapons Officer, 58th FS, Eglin AFB, Fla.
9. September 2000–August 2002, F-15 Operational Test Pilot and Chief, Foreign Materiel Exploitation, 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron and Detachment 1, 28th Test Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10. September 2002–January 2005, Chief, Avionics Requirements, F-22 System Management Organization, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
11. February 2005–May 2008, Director of Operations and Commander, 67th FS, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan
12. May 2008–June 2009, Student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. July 2009–May 2010, Executive Officer, Allied Air Command, Izmir, Turkey
14. June 2010–June 2012, Vice Commander, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev.
15. June 2012–June 2014, Commander, 99th Air Base Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev.
16. June 2014–April 2015, Executive Officer, Pacific Air Forces Command, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
17. April 2015–July 2017, Commander, 18th Wing, Kadena AB, Japan
18. July 2017–June 2018, Deputy Director Operations, Operations Team Two, National Joint Intelligence and Operations Center, Joint Staff (J3), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
19. July 2018–April 2019, Deputy Director for Global Integration and Current Operations, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
20. April 2019–May 2020, Commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan; Director, Air Forces Central Command, Air Component Coordination Element for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan and support of NATO’s Operation Resolute Support; and Deputy Commander-Air for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan
21. May 2020–August 2020, Special Assistant to the Commander, Air Combat Command, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
22. August 2020–present, Commander, 12th Air Force, Air Combat Command, and Commander, Air Forces Southern, U.S. Southern Command, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 2002–May 2003, Chief of Air Operations, Coalition Coordination Center, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., as a major
2. July 2009–May 2010, Executive Officer, Allied Air Command, Izmir, Turkey, as a colonel
3. February 2011–August 2011, Chief of Staff, Joint Forces Special Operations Component Command, Camp Liberty, Iraq, as a colonel
4. July 2017–June 2018, Deputy Director Operations, Operations Team Two, National Joint Intelligence and Operations Center, Joint Staff (J3), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a brigadier general
5. July 2018–April 2019, Deputy Director for Global Integration and Current Operations, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a major general
6. April 2019–May 2020, Commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan; Director, Air Forces Central Command, Air Component Coordination Element for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan and support of NATO’s Operation Resolute Support; and Deputy Commander-Air for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan, as a major general
7. August 2020–present, Commander, Air Forces Southern, U.S. Southern Command, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., as a major general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command Pilot
Flight hours: more than 2,300
Aircraft flown: F-15, A-10, HH-60G, C-208, AT/T-38 and T-37
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant March 22, 1990
First Lieutenant March 22, 1992
Captain March 22, 1994
Major May 1, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2005
Colonel Aug. 1, 2010
Brigadier General Aug. 3, 2015
Major General Oct. 2, 2018
(Current as of March 2021)