Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr. is a retired U.S. Air Force general officer. In his last position, he served as Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In this role, he was responsible for installation and mission support, discovery and development, test and evaluation, life cycle management services and sustainment of virtually every major Air Force weapon system. The command employs approximately 89,000 people and manages $60 billion of budget authority annually.
Gen. Bunch was commissioned in 1984 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He completed undergraduate pilot training in 1985. He completed operational assignments as an instructor, evaluator and aircraft commander for the B-52 Stratofortress. Following graduation from the Air Force Test Pilot School, Gen. Bunch conducted developmental testing in the B-2 Spirit and B-52, and served as an instructor in each. Additionally, he has commanded at the squadron, group, wing, and center levels. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia.
EDUCATION
1984 Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1991 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1994 Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering, California State University, Fresno
1996 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2000 Master of Science, National Security Strategy, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1984–July 1985, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
2. August 1985–December 1985, Student, B-52 Combat Crew Training School, Castle AFB, Calif.
3. January 1986–June 1990, Standardization and Evaluation Instructor Aircraft Commander, 325th Bomb Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
4. July 1990–June 1991, Student, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards AFB, Calif.
5. July 1991–June 1992, Test Pilot, 6512th Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.
6. July 1992–June 1995, Test Pilot, 420th Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.
7. June 1995–June 1996, Student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
8. July 1996–July 1999, Chief, B-1 Test and Evaluation, B-1 System Program Office, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
9. August 1999–June 2000, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
10. June 2000–July 2002, Commander, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.
11. August 2002–April 2003, Chief, Senior Officer Management, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
12. April 2003–June 2004, Deputy Chief, Combat Forces Division, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. June 2004–January 2006, Director, Munitions Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin AFB, Fla.
14. January 2006–May 2008, Commander, 412th Test Wing, Edwards AFB, Calif.
15. June 2008–March 2010, Vice Commander, Air Armament Center, Eglin AFB, Fla.
16. March 2010–June 2011, Director and Program Executive Officer for the Fighters and Bombers Directorate, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
17. June 2011–June 2012, Commander, Air Force Security Assistance Center, AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
18. June 2012–June 2015, Commander, Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, Calif.
19. June 2015–May 2019, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
20. May 2019–June 2022, Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
21. Sept. 1, 2022–Retired
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 2,500 hours
Aircraft flown: B-52, B-2, KC-135, F-16, T-38 and others
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
(Current as of September 2022)