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GENERAL WILLIAM Y. SMITH

General William Y. Smith is deputy commander in chief Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany.

General Smith was born in 1925, in Hot Springs, Ark., where he graduated from high school in 1943. He spent one year at Washington and Lee University Va., then entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He graduated in 1948, among the first academy graduates commissioned directly into the newly established Air Force. The general received a master of public administration degree in 1954 and a doctorate in political economy and government in 1961, both from Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. He completed Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., in 1959 and National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., in 1965.

His first assignment was training recruits at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Subsequently he went through flight training at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, and Williams Air Force Base, Ariz., receiving his pilot wings in September 1949. He then served as a pilot with the 20th Fighter-Bomber Group at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.

In March 1951 General Smith was assigned to the 27th Fighter Escort Group at Itazuke Air Base, Japan, and flew combat missions over Korea in F-84 Thunderjets. He spent two months as a forward air controller with the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division. He next joined the 49th Fighter-Bomber Group and served as operations officer for combat crew training at Itazuke, then as assistant group operations officer at Taegu Air Base, South Korea, flying combat missions until hit by flak and wounded on his 97th mission.

After prolonged hospitalization, General Smith attended Harvard University for graduate study in preparation for a teaching assignment with the department of social sciences at the U.S. Military Academy.

From August 1954 to July 1958, the general taught government, economic and international relations, and attained the rank of associate professor at the U.S. Military Academy. He attended the Air Command and Staff College from August 1958 to June 1959. He spent that summer on special assignment with the president's committee to study the U.S. Military Assistance Program, the Draper Committee. In the fall he become a planning and programming officer with the deputy director of war plans in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

In July 1961 he moved to the White House as Air Force staff assistant to General Maxwell D. Taylor who was then military representative to President John F. Kennedy. When General Taylor became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1962, General Smith worked in a dual capacity as an assistant to the chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and as a staff member on the National Security Council under McGeorge Bundy.

General Smith went to the National War College in August 1964 and after graduation in June 1965, was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Lindsey Air Station, Germany. He worked first in the Policy and Negotiations Division and later as chief, War Plans Division, both under the deputy chief of staff for operations. In July 1967 he became commander of the 603rd Air Base Wing at Sembach Air Base, Germany.

Following his return to the United States in July 1968, he became military assistant to the secretary of the Air Force, serving first with Secretary Harold Brown and subsequently with Secretary Robert C. Seamans Jr. In this position it was General Smith's job to advise and assist the secretary on matters of substance, particularly operational, budgetary, joint-service and system acquisition matters. In addition he carried out special projects for the secretary.

He was appointed vice commander of the Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area, now the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center in August 1971, and become commander in June 1972. The center provided logistics support for U.S. Air Force weapon systems that includes B-52s and associated missiles, A-7D's, C-135s and its configurations ranging from tankers to airborne command posts, command control communications systems, aircraft engines for Major Air Force combat and airlift aircraft, and component parts for various Air Force equipment.

In October 1973 General Smith transferred to Air Force headquarters and served as director of doctrine, concepts and objectives in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Operations. In July 1974 he was appointed director of policy plans and National Security Council affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. He became assistant to the chairman, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in September 1975.

The general returned to Europe in July 1979 as chief of staff for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Belgium, and assumed his present duties in June 1981.

His military decorations and awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal (Air Force) with oak leaf cluster, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal and Purple Heart.

He was promoted to general July 1, 1979, with same date of rank.

(Current as of March 1982)

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COMMANDERS

DATES SERVED

Lt Gen Barton K. Yount

23 Jan 42 - 26 Sep 45

Maj Gen James P. Hodges

27 Sep 45 - 12 Apr 46

Lt Gen John K. Cannon

13 Apr 46 - 13 Oct 48

Lt Gen Robert W. Harper

14 Oct 48 - 30 Jun 54

Maj Gen Glenn O. Barcus

1 Jul 54 - 25 Jul 54

Lt Gen Charles T. Myers

26 Jul 54 - 31 Jul 58

Lt Gen Frederic H. Smith, Jr.

1 Aug 58 - 31 Jul 59

Lt Gen James E. Briggs

1 Aug 59 - 31 Jul 63

Lt Gen Robert W. Burns

1 Aug 63 - 10 Aug 64

Lt Gen William W. Momyer

11 Aug 64 - 30 Jun 66

Lt Gen Sam Maddux, Jr.

1 Jul 66 - 31 Aug 70

Lt Gen George B. Simler

1 Sep 70 - 8 Sep 72

Lt Gen William V. McBride

9 Sep 72 - 31 Aug 74

Lt Gen George H. McKee

1 Sep 74 - 28 Aug 75

Gen John W. Roberts

29 Aug 75 - 31 Mar 79

Gen Bennie L. Davis

1 Apr 79 - 28 Jul 81

Gen Thomas M. Ryan, Jr.

29 Jul 81 - 22 Jun 83

Gen Andrew P. Iosue

23 Jun 83 - 27 Aug 86

Lt Gen John A. Shaud

28 Aug 86 - 5 Jun 88

Lt Gen Robert C. Oaks

6 Jun 88 - 24 Jun 90

Lt Gen Joseph W. Ashy

25 Jun 90 - 10 Dec 92

Gen Henry Viccellio, Jr.

11 Dec 92 - 19 Jun 95

Gen Billy J. Boles

20 Jun 95 - 16 Mar 97

Gen Lloyd W. "Fig" Newton

17 Mar 97 - 21 Jun 00

Gen Hal M. Hornburg

22 Jun 00 - 9 Nov 01

Lt Gen John D. Hopper Jr.

10 Nov 01 - 14 Dec 01

Gen Donald G. Cook

15 Dec 01 - 16 Jun 05

Gen William R. Looney III

17 Jun 05 - 2 Jul 08
Gen Stephen R. Lorenz
 		 3 Jul 08 - 17 Nov 10
 
Gen Edward A. Rice Jr.
 		 18 Nov 10 - 9 Oct 13
 
Gen Robin Rand
 		 10 Oct 13 - 21 July 15
 
Lt Gen Darryl Roberson
 		 21 July 15 - 17 Nov 2017 
 
Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast
 		 17 Nov 2017 - 26 July 2019 
 
Lt. Gen. Marshall B. "Brad" Webb 26 July 2019 - 20 May 2022
Lt. Gen. Brian S. Robinson 20 May 2022 - Present