Gary Lewis North

General, U.S. Air Force

Gary Lewis North was born on 15 May 1954.

North was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force in 1976, as a distinguished graduate from East Carolina University's AFROTC program. He has held numerous operational, command and staff positions, and has completed four long and four short overseas tours. North has served two tours on the Joint Staff, serving as Executive Officer to the Director of the Joint Staff, and as Director of Politico-Military Affairs for Asia-Pacific, where he was responsible for regional planning and policy for the Asia-Pacific, South Asia and Central Asia regions. He has served on the Air Force Staff as the Chief, Joint Requirements Division and Deputy Director of Joint Matters, and as the Director for Operations, U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, HI.

He has also commanded the 33rd Fighter Squadron at Shaw AFB, SC; 35th Operations Group at Misawa AB, Japan; 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan AB, South Korea; and the 18th Wing at Kadena AB, Japan.

Prior to his current assignment, North was the Commander, 9th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central, Shaw AFB, SC, comprising six wings in the 9th AF and eight air expeditionary wings in Air Forces Central, and served as the U.S. Central Command Combined Forces Air Component Commander and service functional Air Component Commander for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On 19 August 2009, North was promoted to the four-star rank of General and assigned as Commander, Pacific Air Forces and Executive Director, Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff at Hickam AFB, HI. Pacific Air Forces is responsible for Air Force activities spread over half the globe in a command that supports 45,000 Air Force people serving principally in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Korea and Japan. He retired on 9 August 2012.

General North is a Command Pilot with over 4,500 flying hours, primarily in the F-4, F-15 and F-16. He flew 83 combat missions in Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. On 27 December 1992, then Lt Col North, achieved the distinction of acquiring the first beyond visual range kill with an F-16D, and the first kill with an AIM-120 AMRAAM. This event took place just below the 32nd parallel north against an Iraqi MiG-25.

Education

1976 Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, East Carolina University, NC

1982 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL

1984 Master of Public Administration degree, Golden Gate University

1986 Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management, Golden Gate University

1990 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA

1994 Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC

1997 Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

Assignments

September 1976 - May 1977, student, undergraduate navigator training, Mather AFB, CA.

May 1977 - October 1978, student, Electronic Warfare Officer School, Mather AFB, CA.

January 1978 - June 1978, student, F-4E upgrade training, Homestead AFB, FL.

July 1978 - July 1979, Weapons Systems Officer, 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kunsan AB, South Korea.

August 1979 - September 1980, F-4G Wild Weasel Electronic Warfare Officer, 561st and 563rd tactical fighter squadrons, George AFB, CA.

September 1980 - September 1981, student, undergraduate pilot training, Reese AFB, TX.

September 1981 - September 1982, Fighter Lead-in Training, Holloman AFB, NM, and F-16 transition, Hill AFB, UT.

September 1982 - April 1985, Squadron Scheduler and Squadron Weapons Officer, 19th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, SC.

April 1985 - August 1985, student pilot, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis AFB, NV.

August 1985 - June 1986, Wing Weapons Officer, 363rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Shaw AFB, SC.

June 1986 - June 1987, F-16 Weapons Officer and Flight Commander, 526th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ramstein AB, West Germany.

June 1987 - June 1989, Aide-de-Camp and F-16 Instructor Pilot to the Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein AB, West Germany.

July 1989 - January 1990, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA.

March 1990 - July 1993, Assistant Operations Officer, 19th Tactical Fighter Squadron; Wing Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, and Chief of Wing Weapons and Safety, Operation Desert Storm, 363rd Fighter Wing; and Commander, 33rd Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, SC.

August 1993 - June 1994, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC.

July 1994 - August 1996, Commander, 35th Operations Group, Misawa AB, Japan.

August 1996 - August 1997, Chief, Joint Requirements Division and Deputy Director of Joint Matters, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, DC.

August 1997 - May 1999, Executive Assistant to the Director, the Joint Staff, Washington, DC.

May 1999 - May 2000, Commander, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, South Korea.

August 2000 - April 2002, Commander, 18th Wing, Kadena AB, Japan.

April 2002 - June 2004, Deputy Director of Politico-Military Affairs for Asia-Pacific, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, DC.

July 2004 - January 2006, Director for Operations, U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, HI.

February 2006 - August 2009, Commander, 9th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central, Shaw AFB, SC.

August 2009-present, Commander, Pacific Air Forces; Air Component Commander for U.S. Pacific Command; and Executive Director, Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff, Hickam AFB, HI.

Summary of Joint Assignments

August 1990 - August 1992, Desert Shield/Desert Storm Planner, Joint Credit, as a Lieutenant Colonel.

September 1997 - May 1999, Executive Officer to the Director, Joint Staff, as a Colonel.

April 2002 - June 2004, Deputy Director, Politico-Military Affairs for Asia-Pacific (J5), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, DC, as a Brigadier General.

July 2004 - January 2006, Director of Operations (J3) U.S. Pacific Command , as a Major General.

Promotion Dates

Second Lieutenant - 4 September 1976

First Lieutenant - 4 September 1978

Captain - 4 September 1980

Major - 1 March 1987

Lieutenant Colonel - 1 April 1990

Colonel - 1 February 1995

Brigadier General - 1 August 2001

Major General - 1 June 2005

Lieutenant General - 16 February 2006

General - 19 August 2009

Medals and Awards

Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal (3 Awards)
Distinguished Flying Cross (2 Awards)
Legion of Merit (2 Awards)
Bronze Star
Meritorious Service Medal (2 Awards)
Air Medal (6 Awards)
Air Force Commendation Medal (3 Awards)

Badges

Command Pilot Badge
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

Honors

1993 Lance P. Sijan U.S. Air Force Leadership Award