Martin was born in Fort Myer, Virginia in 1948, and graduated from the Landon School, Bethesda, Maryland, in 1966. After graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1970, where he was a 1969 National Collegiate Parachuting champion, he went on to fly 161 combat missions in South East Asia, and then went on to train other pilots. In 1977, he received master's degree in business management from Central Michigan University. With this experience, he was tapped to command the 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron, then the 479th Tactical Fighter Training Wing, then the 33rd and 1st Fighter Wings. While earning several awards and decorations, among them the Distinguished Service Medal, he went on to serve as Vice Director of the Joint Staff's Force Structure and Resources Directorate, Director of Operational Requirements for the U.S. Air Force, and Principal Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Before finally commanding Air Materiel Command, Martin served as the Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Allied Air Forces Northern Europe.
In 2004, Martin was nominated to succeed Admiral Thomas B. Fargo as combatant commander of U.S. Pacific Command, the first non-Navy nominee for this prestigious post. However, he suffered collateral damage from the Darleen Druyun procurement scandal. During his October 6 confirmation hearing for the Pacific Command post before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John McCain asked how Druyun's deceit had gone unnoticed. Martin, who had worked closely with Druyun in 1998-99 while he held the position of Principal Deputy in acquisition said in response "I'm not an expert in contracting," and "I saw nothing that she was doing that was inappropriate or in any way illegal, and if I had, I would have immediately raised a Red Flag!."[3] McCain replied, "Now I question whether you have the quality to command".[4] McCain called the Boeing deal "a national disgrace",[3] and vowed to hold Martin's nomination in the Senate Armed Services Committee "until we get all of the e-mails and all of the answers."[3] Committee Chairman John W. Warner supported McCain, and Martin withdrew his name the same day and returned to his duties as the Commander of the Air Force Materiel Command until his scheduled retirement in August 2005. Seven months later, Senator McCain completed his review of the e-mails and there were no indications that General Martin had any knowledge of Druyun's improprieties. Prior to this setback, Martin had been considered the likely successor to Air Force Chief of StaffJohn P. Jumper.
Post-military career
Martin retired from the Air Force on September 1, 2005. He is currently a chair of the National Academies Air Force Studies Board, has served as an unaligned advisor to John Edwards' presidential campaign,[5] is on the advisory board of a consultancy firm The Four Star Group,[6] is board member[7] and retired chairman of the Durango Group,[8] and has served in other Pentagon capacities and been a consultant to "many defense sector firms."[6]
In 2010, the Boston Globe reported on the Northrop Grumman approach to Martin at his retirement in 2005 and the call "a few weeks later [from] the National Academies Air Force Studies Board, asking him to join a top-secret Air Force panel studying the future of stealth aircraft technology." Northrop Grumman is the manufacturer of the B-2 stealth bomber. Martin accepted the job offer and agreed to the Air Force Studies Board request. The article examined the claim that such dual retirement roles for Martin and other generals and admirals is "ethical and beneficial for America's defense." Martin asserted that for this study, the National Academies reached out to all of the major US Aerospace Defense companies to ensure that the study included not only Defense and Academic specialists, but that the latest development experts with regard to propulsion and aerodynamic to contribute to this landmark study. Seth Bonder, a fellow Pentagon panel member from the National Academy of Engineering, though, had not been made aware of the general's industry role during the two-year study and "said disclosure of potential conflicts would be desirable."[9] To clarify the National Academies process, it should be known that all study committee members must disclose their financial and business arrangements openly and verbally to the study committee members and in writing to the National Research Council (a sub element to the National Academies) before being allowed to participate in a study. General Martin's disclosures were completed and accepted without objection.
Education
1970 Bachelor of Science degree, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
October 1981 - August 1985, Chief of Wing Training, 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron, later, operations officer, later, Commander, 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan
August 1985 - June 1986, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
June 1986 - July 1988, Chief, Continental U.S. Bases and Units Division, later, Chief of Tactical Programs for the Air Staff's Directorate of Programs and Resources, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
July 1988 - July 1989, Vice Commander, 49th Tactical Fighter Wing, Holloman AFB, New Mexico
July 1989 - August 1990, executive officer to the Commander, later, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, Virginia
August 1990 - August 1991, Commander, 479th Tactical Training Wing, Holloman AFB, New Mexico
August 1991 - June 1993, Commander, 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida
June 1993 - May 1995, Commander, 1st Fighter Wing, Langley AFB, Virginia
May 1995 - July 1996, Deputy Director, later, Vice Director, Force Structure and Resources, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.
July 1996 - January 1997, Director of Operational Requirements, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
January 1997 - July 1998, Director of Operational Requirements, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
July 1998 - January 2000, Principal Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C.
January 2000 - March 2000, Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe; and Air Force Component Commander, U.S. European Command, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
March 2000 - August 2003, Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Allied Air Forces Northern Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany
August 2003 - August 2005, Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
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