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BRIGADIER GENERAL EDWARD M. "MIKE" MINAHAN

Brig. Gen. Edward M. "Mike" Minahan is the Principal Director for Middle East Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington D.C. He helps execute defense policy and national security strategy for 15 Middle East nations, to include Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. In addition, he coordinates with the National Security Council staff, Joint Staff, State Department, foreign government and U.S. embassies, and combatant commanders.

General Minahan graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1986. He has held numerous positions in operational flying units, and has served in headquarters staff positions at the unified command and major command levels. He has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels. While deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operation, he commanded a KC-135 squadron, a mobility operations group, and an Air Expeditionary Wing in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. Prior to assuming his current position, General Minahan served as the Commander, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia, where he was responsible for the wing's air refueling; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; air control and air battle management; theater security fighter and airlift support missions for overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia.

He is a command pilot with more than 4,200 flight hours, primarily in tanker, airlift and training aircraft.

EDUCATION
1986 Bachelor of Science degree, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1993 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1995 Master of Aerospace Science degree, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
1997 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2001 Air War College, by correspondence
2004 Master of Strategic Studies degree, Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2005 Senior Leaders Executive Course, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2006 Senior Leaders Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2007 Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1986 - September 1987, student, undergraduate pilot training, Vance AFB, Okla.
2. March 1988 - September 1993, KC-135 instructor pilot, Plattsburgh AFB, N.Y.
3. December 1993 - June 1996, wing executive officer, flight commander and C-141B instructor pilot, McChord AFB, Wash.
4. June 1996 - June 1997, student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
5. June 1997 - January 2000, counternarcotics operations officer, Operations Directorate (J3), U.S. Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii
6. May 2000 - June 2002, Commander, 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
7. June 2002 - June 2003, Deputy Chief, Commander's Action Group, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
8. July 2003 - June 2004, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. June 2004 - March 2006, Vice Commander, 305th Air Mobility Wing, McGuire AFB, N.J.
10. April 2006 - December 2007, Commander, 47th Flying Training Wing, Laughlin AFB, Texas
11. December 2007 - May 2010, executive officer to the Deputy Commander, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany
12. June 2010 - June 2011, commander, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia
13. August 2011 - present, Principal Director for Middle East Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1997 - January 2000, counternarcotics operations officer, Operations Directorate (J3), U.S. Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii, as a major
2. December 2007 - May 2010, executive officer to the Deputy Commander, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany, as a colonel
3. August 2011 - present, Principal Director for Middle East Policy, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington D.C., as a brigadier general

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,200
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, KC-135, C-141, KC-10, C-17, T-1 and RQ-4

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 1986
First Lieutenant May 28, 1988
Captain May 28, 1990
Major Aug. 1, 1996
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2000
Colonel Aug. 1, 2004
Brigadier General July 3, 2010

(Current as of March 2013)

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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