Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Mark A. Koeniger is the Commander, Air Force Medical Readiness Agency. The agency operates at three geographically separated sites; the two major locations are Defense Health Headquarters, Falls Church, Virginia, and Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Brig. Gen. Koeniger provides consultative leadership to more than 44,000 personnel, 76 Military Treatment Facilities and a $6 billion budget. AFMRA oversees the support and execution medical readiness programs, expeditionary medical capabilities and the direct support and implementation of policy, plans and programs for health care operations of the Air Force Medical Service.
Brig. Gen. Koeniger was commissioned through Officer Training School. Following navigator training, he moved to Tinker Air Force Base for an operational tour in AWACS. In 1988, he started medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and four years later, moved to Eglin AFB, Florida to complete a residency in Family Practice. During his final year at Eglin AFB, he served as Chief Resident and earned his Flight Surgeon Badge by completing the Aerospace Medicine Primary Course. Brig. Gen. Koeniger spent the next nine years overseas in both U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa and Pacific Air Forces serving as a Family Physician, Flight Surgeon, Commander and Chief of Medical Operations. He then moved to Washington, D.C., as the Medical Consultant to the President of the National Defense University before attending National War College. Following graduation, Brig. Gen. Koeniger moved to Air Staff where he worked first as the Medical Operations Panel Chair and then as the Deputy Assistant Surgeon General, Strategic Medical Plans and Programs. He has commanded the 86th Aerospace Medical Squadron, the 380th Expeditionary Medical Group and the 332th Expeditionary Medical Group.
Brig. Gen. Koeniger has extensive wartime and humanitarian relief operational experience. He supported operations in the Balkans by deploying to Tirane, Albania, as the Air Transportable Clinic Chief in support of Operation Shining Hope. He is a two-time deployed Group Commander serving at both Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates and at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, in support of Iraqi Freedom. He is a Senior Flight Surgeon and Navigator with over 2,100 flying hours, including more than 100 combat hours.
EDUCATION
1982 Bachelor of Science, Biochemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
1992 Doctor of Medicine, Uniformed Services University Health Services, Bethesda, Md.
1994 Aerospace Medicine Primary Course, Brooks Air Force Base, Texas
1995 Family Practice Residency, Eglin AFB, Fla.
1999 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2002 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2006 Master of Science, National Security Strategy, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2007 Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives, Washington, D.C.
2010 Military Health System Capstone Symposium, Arlington, Va.
2011 Medical Strategic Leadership Program, San Antonio, New York City and Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 1985–November 1985, Student, Undergraduate Navigator Training, Mather Air Force Base, Calif.
2. November 1985–March 1986, Airborne Early Warning and Control System Navigator Training, 966th AWACS Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.
3. March 1986–August 1988, AWACS Navigator, 963rd AWACS Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.
4. August 1988–June 1992, Medical Student, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md.
5. June 1992–July 1995, Resident, Family Practice, 96th Medical Group, Eglin AFB, Fla.
6. July 1995–June 1997, Element Leader, Family Practice, 86th Medical Operations Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
7. June 1997–July 1999, Flight Surgeon, Squadron Medical Element, 37th Airlift Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
8. July 1999–July 2001, Flight Commander, Flight Medicine, 18th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
9. July 2001–July 2003, Commander, 86th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
10. July 2003–July 2004, Chief, Operational Medicine, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany
11. July 2004–July 2005, Medical Consultant, National Defense University President, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
12. July 2005–July 2006, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. July 2006–September 2007, Director, Medical Operations, Air Force Medical Operations Agency, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.
14. September 2007–July 2009, Deputy Assistant Surgeon General, Strategic Medical Plans and Programs, Office of the Surgeon General, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C. (August 2008 – December 2008, Commander, 380th Expeditionary Medical Group, Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates)
15. July 2009–August 2010, Commander, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group, Joint Base Balad, Iraq
16. August 2010–May 2012, Command Surgeon, Headquarters Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale AFB, La.
17. May 2012–2014, Command Surgeon, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
18. May 2014–June 2016, Deputy Director, Medical Operations and Research, Falls Church, Va.
19. June 2016–June 2019, Commander, 711th Human Performance Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
20. June 2019–present, Commander, Air Force Medical Readiness Agency, Defense Health Headquarters, Falls Church, Va.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: senior flight surgeon and navigator
Hours: more than 2,100
Aircraft flown: C-130, E-3, C-9, C-17, C-20, C-21, C-37, E-8, F-16, HH-60, KC-10 and T-43
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Member, American Academy of Family Physicians
Fellow, Society of U.S. Air Force Flight Surgeons
Life member, Association of Military Surgeons of the United States
Member, Aerospace Medical Association
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant March 14, 1985
First Lieutenant March 14, 1987
Captain Sept. 4, 1990
Major Sept. 4, 1996
Lieutenant Colonel May 28, 2001
Colonel May 28, 2007
Brigadier General Aug. 2, 2016
(Current as of August 2021)