Col. Andrew J. Gale is the Director of Communications, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. As director, he is the functional leader for 7,000 communications professionals, providing information technology services to more than 62,000 personnel at 12 major installations. He leads a directorate staff composed of 150 military and civilian personnel. Colonel Gale is responsible for formulating and providing policy and guidance for all communications budgeting, programming, operations, and maintenance activities within the command, as well as executing a $35 million annual operations budget. Colonel Gale also executes AETC's Chief Information Officer duties. In this capacity, he is responsible for planning, developing, and implementing policies for integrating information technology across AETC.
Colonel Gale is a native of Alexandria, Virginia, and a 1990 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his commission via the Reserve Officer Training Corps and has served in a variety of positions in the cyber career field at international, combatant command, Air Staff, major command and wing/base levels.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga.
1991 Basic Communications Officer Training, Keesler AFB, Miss.
1994 Master of Business Administration, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1996 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1999 Advanced Communications Officer Training, Keesler AFB, Miss.
2005 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Air War College, by correspondence
2013 Master of Strategic Studies, College of Naval Warfare, Naval War College, Newport. R.I.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1991—August 1991, Student, Basic Communications Officer Training, Keesler AFB. Miss.
2. August 1991—February 1995, Project Engineer, Command Requirements Project Office, HQ Strategic Air Command; then Officer-in-Charge, Telephone/Wire Branch; Officer-in-Charge, Telephone Systems Section and Flight Commander, Data Systems Flight, 55th Communications Squadron, Offutt AFB, Neb.
3. February 1995—May 1996, Chief of Maintenance, 607th Air Support Operations Group, Osan AB, South Korea
4. May 1996—July 1996, Student, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
5. July 1996 —July 1999, Officer-in-Charge, Plans Section, Joint Signal Group, Land Forces Southeast (NATO) and Aide-de-Camp to the Deputy Commander, 6th Allied Tactical Air Force (NATO), Izmir, Turkey
6. July 1999—November 2001, Branch Chief, Resource Systems and Director, Commander’s Action Group, Air Force Communications Agency, Scott AFB, Ill.
7. December 2001—July 2004, Deputy Chief, J6 Director’s Action Group; Officer-in-Charge, Global C4ISR Coordination Center; Action Officer, C4 Transformation, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.
8. July 2004—June 2008, Student, Air Command and Staff College; then, Commander, 42nd Communications Squadron; Deputy Commander, 42nd Mission Support Group; Executive Officer to the Commandant, Air War College and Commander, Spaatz Center for Officer Education; Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. July 2008—August 2010, Commander, 374th Communications Squadron and Deputy Commander, 374th Mission Support Group, Yokota AB, Japan
10. September 2010—May 2011, Chief, Organizational & Force Development Programs, SAF/CIO (A6), the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
11. May 2011—June 2012, Vice Commander, 688th Information Operations Wing, JBSA-Lackland, Texas
12. July 2012—June 2013, Student, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
13. July 2013—March 2014, Director of Communications, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, JBSA-Randolph, Texas
14. April 2014—May 2015, Senior Information and Communications Technology Advisor and Deputy Director of Communications, Headquarters Resolute Support, Kabul, Afghanistan
15. June 2015—present, Director of Communications, HQ AETC, JBSA-Randolph, Texas
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1996 —July 1999, Officer-in-Charge, Plans Section, Joint Signal Group, Land Forces Southeast (NATO) and Aide-de-Camp to the Deputy Commander, 6th Allied Tactical Air Force (NATO), Izmir, Turkey as a captain
2. December 2001—July 2004, Deputy Chief, J6 Director’s Action Group; Officer-in-Charge, Global C4ISR Coordination Center; Action Officer, C4 Transformation, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va. as a captain and major
3. April 2014—May 2015, Senior Information and Communications Technology Advisor and Deputy Director of Communications, Headquarters Resolute Support, Kabul, Afghanistan as a colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant November 23, 1990
First Lieutenant November 23, 1992
Captain November 23, 1994
Major January 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel November 1, 2006
Colonel September 1, 2011
(Current as of August 2015)