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MARK "TAP" TAPPER

Mark "Tap" Tapper, a Defense Intelligence Senior Leader, is Special Adviser to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for all matters related to Air Force ISR transformation including planning and direction, organizational development, and strategic communication of ISR capabilities, organization and personnel. He provides guidance on the development and promulgation of policies and programs to implement and achieve long-range Air Force ISR strategy, plans, doctrine, force development and integration of future capabilities while guiding end-to-end ISR capability management.

Mr. Tapper entered the Air Force in 1980 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has more than 3,500 hours in the F-16A/B/C/D and F-111D/F. While on active duty he held a variety of assignments within U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Pacific Air Forces, Air Education and Training Command, and Air Combat Command. He has previously been assigned to the Pentagon as the Director of Strategy and Long Range Planning for the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, and the Weapons Division Chief in the Directorate of Operational Requirements, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations.

Mr. Tapper commanded a fighter squadron, an air operations group and the Pacific Air and Space Operations Center. For Combined Support Force 536, the 2004 - 2005 Asian tsunami humanitarian relief operation, he served as Deputy Combined Force Air Component Commander and Deputy Commander Air Force Forces. He was the inaugural Pacific Air Forces Air Expeditionary Task Force Commander for Operation Deep Freeze, the Department of Defense support to the National Science Foundation in Antarctica, and the Chief of Staff for the Pacific Command Joint Task-Force Support Forces, Antarctica. Mr. Tapper also led the effort to organize and stand up the first Air Force warfighting headquarters, the General George C. Kenney Headquarters (13th Air Force) at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and served there as the Chief of Staff. 

EDUCATION
1980 Bachelor of Science degree in operations research, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1987 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1993 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1994 Master of Science degree in aeronautical science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
1998 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2002 Master of Science degree in national security strategy, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.

CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. 1980 - 1981, student, undergraduate pilot training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
2. 1981 - 1982, student, fighter lead-in training, Holloman AFB, N.M., and F-111 Replacement Training Unit, Cannon AFB, N.M.
3. 1982 - 1984, F-111F aircraft commander, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England
4. 1984 - 1988, F-111D instructor pilot and standardization and evaluation flight examiner, Cannon AFB, N.M.
5. 1988 - 1990, F-16 instructor pilot and flight commander, Homestead AFB, N.M.
6. 1990 - 1991, F-16 instructor pilot and flight commander, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea
7. 1992 - 1994, Chief, Rated Management Branch, Director of Operations, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
8. 1994 - 1997, Chief, Standardization and Evaluation, 388th Fighter Wing, and operations officer, 4th Fighter Squadron, Hill AFB, Utah
9. 1998 - 2000, Commander, 310th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
10. 2000 - 2001, Deputy then Chief, Weapons Division, Directorate of Operational Requirements, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
11. 2001 - 2002, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J McNair, Washington, D.C.
12. 2002 - 2004, Chief of Safety, 12th Air Force, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
13. 2004 - 2006, Commander, 502nd Air Operations Group; Director, Pacific Air Operations Center; and Chief of Staff, George C. Kenney Headquarters (13th Air Force), Hickam AFB, Hawaii
14. 2006 - 2007, Director of Strategy and Long Range Planning, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
15. 2007 - 2008, Management and Technology Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Va.
16. 2008 - present, Special Adviser to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

AWARDS AND HONORS
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Outstanding Unit Award with "V" device and two oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Humanitarian Service Medal

(Current as of April 2009)

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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