Gen. Richard B. Myers is the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he serves as the principal military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense and the National Security Council. By law, he is the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. Prior to becoming Chairman, the general served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for 19 months.

General Myers joined the Air Force in 1965 through the ROTC program at Kansas State University. He entered pilot training in June 1965 at Vance Air Force Base, Okla. A command pilot, he has more than 4,100 flying hours, primarily in the F-4, F-15 and F-16, including 600 combat hours in the F-4.

The general has commanded at all levels and served in significant staff positions throughout the Air Force. His largest commands included U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base, Japan; Pacific Air Forces at Hickam AFB, Hawaii; and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Space Command and Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo.

EDUCATION
1965 Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, Kansas State University
1977 Master's degree in business administration, Auburn University, Ala.
1977 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1981 U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
1991 Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1965 – June 1966, student, undergraduate pilot training, Vance AFB, Okla.
2. June 1966 – August 1968, F-4D pilot, 417th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, West Germany
3. August 1968 – April 1969, F-4 pilot, 417th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
4. April 1969 – December 1969, F-4 pilot, F-4 Replacement Training Unit, Homestead AFB, Fla.
5. December 1969 – November 1970, F-4D pilot, 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Udorn Royal Thai AFB, Thailand
6. December 1970 – March 1971, F4-C pilot, 80th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Yokota AB, Japan
7. March 1971 – August 1973, F-4 weapons and tactics officer and flight commander, 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
8. August 1973 – July 1976, instructor pilot and flight commander, 414th Fighter Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
9. July 1976 – June 1977, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
10. June 1977 – June 1980, operational test and evaluation staff officer, Directorate of Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
11. June 1980 – June 1981, student, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
12. June 1981 – October 1981, Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
13. October 1981 – November 1983, operations officer, later, Commander, 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
14. November 1983 – January 1984, Assistant Deputy Commander for Operations, 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
15. January 1984 – October 1984, Deputy Director of Personnel Plans and Programs, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, Va.
16. October 1984 – September 1985, Team Chief, Inspector General Team, Headquarters TAC, Langley AFB, Va.
17. September 1985 – September 1986, Commandant, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
18. September 1986 – June 1987, Commander, 325th Tactical Training Wing, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
19. June 1987 – February 1989, Commander, 1st Tactical Fighter Wing, Langley AFB, Va.
20. February 1989 – June 1989, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Headquarters TAC, Langley AFB, Va.
21. June 1989 – January 1990, Inspector General, Headquarters TAC, Langley Air Force Base, Va.
22. January 1990 – June 1990, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Headquarters TAC, Langley AFB, Va.
23. June 1990 – December 1991, Deputy Chief of Staff for Requirements, Headquarters TAC, Langley AFB, Va.
24. December 1991 – November 1993, Director of Fighter, Command and Control, and Weapons Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C.
25. November 1993 – June 1996, Commander, U.S. Forces Japan and Commander, 5th Air Force, Yokota AB, Japan
26. July 1996 – July 1997, Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.
27. July 1997 – July 1998, Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
28. Aug 1998 – February 2000, Commander in Chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command; Commander, Air Force Space Command; and Department of Defense Manager, Space Transportation System Contingency Support, Peterson AFB, Colo.
29. March 2000 – October 2001, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.
30. October 2001 – present, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,100
Aircraft flown: F-4, F-16, F-15, T-33, C-21 and C-37

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with 18 oak leaf clusters
Commemorative Medal of the Minister of First Degree (Slovakia)
Distinguished Service Order (Military) (Singapore)
Order of Military Merit “Jose Maria Cordova” (Colombia)
Commander of the Order of Military Merit (Canada)
Order of the Cross of the Eagle First Class (Estonia)
Order of the Balkan Mountain, without ribbon, 2nd Class (Bulgaria)
Badge of the Commander of the Military Forces (Paraguay)
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, Paulownia Flowers (Japan)
Order of the National Security Merit Tongil Medal (Republic of Korea)
Medal of Military Merit “Antonio Narino” (Colombia)
National Order “Steaua Romaniei,” Grand Officer (Romania)
Italian Grand Officer (Italy)
French Legion of Honor (France)
Meritorious Service Cross (Canada)
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan)
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Air Force’s Gray Eagle since 1999

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Feb. 3, 1965
First Lieutenant Dec. 5, 1966
Captain June 13, 1968
Major Sept. 1, 1976
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 1979
Colonel Sept. 1, 1984
Brigadier General April 1, 1990
Major General Sept. 1, 1992
Lieutenant General Nov. 12, 1993
General Sept. 1, 1997


(Current as of September 2005)