Brig. Gen. Robert Yates is the Director for Operations, Plans, Logistics and Engineering, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va. He serves as the principal adviser to the USJFCOM commander on all military operational, logistics (less medical) and engineering matters. His primary responsibility as the joint force provider includes identifying conventional capabilities to meet the requirements of supported combatant commanders and recommending joint sourcing solutions from the global conventional force pool. He is also responsible for readiness monitoring, planning, directing and tracking the deployment of conventional joint forces and capabilities assigned to USJFCOM. In addition, he is responsible for joint logistics through support of joint and multinational training and education; concept development and experimentation; and joint command and control integration efforts.
General Yates was commissioned in 1981 from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is a distinguished graduate of Squadron Officer School and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He has completed numerous flying tours and commanded at the flight, squadron, group and wing levels. He has held staff assignments within the Air Staff, Joint Staff, Office of the Secretary of Defense and Air Combat Command, including a tour as military assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and Assistant Director of Aerospace Operations at ACC. He has commanded an operations group and two fighter wings. Prior to assuming his current position, he was Deputy U.S. Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee, NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium.
General Yates is a command pilot with more than 3,200 flying hours in the A-10, A-7, AT-38B, EC-130E, EC-130H, F-16 and F-117.
EDUCATION
1981 Bachelor of Science degree, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1986 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1993 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
1998 Distinguished graduate, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. Nair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1981 - September 1982, student, undergraduate pilot training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
2. October 1982 - December 1982, student, fighter lead-in, 435th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Holloman AFB, N.M.
3. January 1983 - April 1983, A-10 student pilot, A-10 Replacement Training Unit, 358th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
4. May 1983 - September 1986, A-10 pilot and instructor pilot, 74th Fighter Squadron, England AFB, La.
5. October 1986 - November 1986, A-7 student pilot, A-7 Replacement Training Unit, Tucson International Airport, Ariz.
6. December 1986 - January 1990, F-117A pilot, instructor pilot, standardization and evaluation flight examiner; A-7 pilot; AT-38 instructor pilot and standardization and evaluation flight examiner; and formal course F-117A Replacement Training Unit instructor pilot, 4450th Tactical Group, Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. February 1990 - June 1990, F-16 student pilot, F-16 Replacement Training Unit, Luke AFB, Ariz., and mission qualifications training, Moody AFB, Ga.
8. July 1990 - May 1992, F-16C pilot, instructor pilot and flight commander, 13th Fighter Squadron, Misawa Air Base, Japan
9. June 1992 - June 1993, student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
10. July 1993 - July 1995, basing manager for the Pacific region and executive officer to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
11. August 1995 - January 1996, F-16C requalification training, Luke AFB, Ariz.
12. February 1996 - July 1997, Commander, 69th Fighter Squadron, Moody AFB, Ga.
13. August 1997 - June 1998, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
14. July 1998 - April 2000, Regional Engagement and Presence Joint Warfighting Capability Assessment Team Chief, and Engagement Strategy Branch Chief, Strategy Division (J5), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
15. May 2000 - December 2000, military assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
16. January 2001 - March 2002, Commander, 355th Operations Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
17. March 2002 - April 2004, Commander, 27th Fighter Wing, Cannon AFB, N.M.
18. April 2004 - May 2005, Assistant Director of Aerospace Operations, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
19. June 2005 - June 2007, Commander, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy
20. June 2007 - May 2009, Deputy Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee, NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium
21. May 2009 - present, Director for Operations, Plans, Logistics and Engineering (J3/4), U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1998 - April 2000, Regional Engagement and Presence Joint Warfighting Capability Assessment Team Chief, and Engagement Strategy Branch Chief, Strategy Division (J5), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel and colonel
2. May 2000 - December 2000, military assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a colonel
3. June 2007 - May 2009, Deputy Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee, NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, as a brigadier general
4. May 2009 - present, Director for Operations, Plans, Logistics and Engineering (J3/4), U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va., as a brigadier general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,200, with more than 1,100 in the A-10 and F-16 aircraft and 100 combat hours
Aircraft flown: A-10, A-7, AT-38B, EC-130E/H, F-16A/B/C/D and F-117
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second lieutenant May 27, 1981
First lieutenant May 27, 1983
Captain May 27, 1985
Major May 1, 1993
Lieutenant Colonel Feb. 1, 1995
Colonel May 1, 1999
Brigadier General Jan. 1, 2006
(Current as of October 2011)