William H. Etter

Lieutenant General

William H. Etter
Lieutenant General ; William H. Etter
	Lieutenant General William H. Etter, USAF, c. 2013
Born	c. 1957 (age 63–64)
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1979–2016
Rank	Lieutenant general
Commands held	1st Air Force ; 158th Operations Group ; 134th Fighter Squadron
Awards	Air Force Distinguished Service Medal ; Defense Superior Service Medal (2); Legion of Merit (2); Defense Meritorious Service Medal ; Meritorious Service Medal (2); Air Medal ; Aerial Achievement Medal ; Air Force Commendation Medal ; Air Force Achievement Medal (2);
Alma mater	University of Connecticut (BS); Troy University (MS)

Last updated October 05, 2021

Lieutenant General William H. Etter is a retired United States Air Force officer who last served as commander of 1st Air Force (Air Force North) and commander of Continental North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, from March 2013 to August 2016.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Etter earned his commission through the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Connecticut. He has served in various operational, command and staff assignments as an F-16 pilot. Etter served as director of operations and assistant adjutant general-air for the Vermont Air National Guard before transferring to the Connecticut Air National Guard.

Upon moving to the National Guard Bureau, Etter served in many positions, including director of strategic plans and policy (J5), director Joint Staff of National Guard Bureau, director of domestic operations (J3), director of domestic operations/force development (J3/7) and the deputy director of the Air National Guard. Prior to his current assignment, he was the assistant to the chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, for National Guard matters at the Pentagon.

Etter is a command pilot with more than 3,700 military flight hours, primarily in the T-37 Tweet, T-38 Talon, and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Additionally, Etter has more than 11,300 commercial flight hours, primarily in the Boeing 737, 757, and 767.

Education

1979 Bachelor of Science, mechanical engineering, University of Connecticut, summa cum laude
1984 Master of Science, management, Troy State University, Troy, Alabama
1996 Air War College, by correspondence
2005 Senior Executives in International Security, John F. Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
2006 Dual Status Title 10/32 Joint Task Force Commanders Course, Norfolk, Virginia
2007 Leading Organizational Change, the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
2009 Combined Force Air Component Commander (CFACC) Course, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2009 Capstone General and Flag Officer Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2011 Senior Executive Seminar, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Garmisch, Germany
2014 Pinnacle General and Flag Officer Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.

Military assignments

February 1980 – February 1981, student, undergraduate pilot training, Columbus AFB, Mississippi
February 1981 – June 1981, student, fighter lead-in training, Holloman AFB, New Mexico
June 1981- February 1982, student, F-16 Initial Replacement Training Unit, MacDill AFB, Florida
February 1982 – July 1985, pilot, instructor pilot and Standardization Evaluation Examiner, F-16, 496th Fighter Squadron, Hahn Air Base, Germany
July 1985 – September 1985, student, Tactical Air Command Instructor Pilot Course, F-16, MacDill AFB, Florida
September 1985 – July 1987, instructor pilot and standardization evaluation flight examiner, F-16, 61st Tactical Fighter Squadron, MacDill AFB, Florida
July 1987 – January 1993, instructor pilot and standardization evaluation flight examiner, F-16, 134th Fighter Squadron, Vermont Air National Guard, Burlington, Vermont
January 1993 – August 1993, operations officer, F-16, 134th Fighter Squadron, Vermont Air National Guard, Burlington, Vermont
August 1993 – April 1997, commander, 134th Fighter Squadron, Vermont Air National Guard, Burlington, Vermont
April 1997 – November 2001, commander, 158th Operations Group, Burlington, Vermont
November 2001- August 2003, director of operations, Headquarters Vermont Air National Guard, Colchester, Vermont
August 2003 – August 2004, assistant adjutant general for air, Joint Force Headquarters Vermont National Guard, Colchester, Vermont
August 2004 – January 2007, assistant adjutant general for air, Commander, Vermont Air National Guard, Colchester, Vermont (also served September 2006, Maple Tap Commander, Iraq)
February 2007 – June 2008, director for strategic plans and policy (J5), National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va.; also served January 2008 – June 2008, acting director, Joint Staff, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia
July 2008 – March 2010, director for domestic operations (J3), National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia
April 2010 – November 2010, director for strategic plans and policy (J5), National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va.; also served April 2010 – September 2010, acting director, Domestic Operations/Force Development (J3/7), Arlington, Virginia
December 2010 – June 2012, deputy director, Air National Guard, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
June 2012 – March 2013, assistant to the chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, for National Guard Matters, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
March 2013 – August 2016, commander of 1st Air Force (Air Force North) and commander of Continental North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, Tyndall AFB, Florida

Effective dates of promotion

Insignia	Rank	Date of rank
	Second lieutenant	May 20, 1979
	First lieutenant	May 20, 1981
	Captain	November 20, 1983
	Major	September 12, 1989
	Lieutenant colonel	October 3, 1993
	Colonel	March 30, 2000
	Brigadier general	January 28, 2004
	Major general	February 1, 2007
	Lieutenant general	March 7, 2013

Related Research Articles

John Donald Wesley Corley is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force. He previously served as the commander of Air Combat Command from October 2007 to September 10, 2009, and as the 32nd Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force from September 2005 to September 2007. He retired from the Air Force on November 1, 2009.

Victor Eugene "Gene" Renuart Jr. is a retired United States Air Force four-star general. His last military assignment was as the commander of United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command from March 23, 2007, to May 19, 2010. Prior to that, he served as director of strategic plans and policy, the Joint Staff. Renuart retired from the Air Force on July 1, 2010, after over 39 years of service.

Craig Richard McKinley is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the 26th Chief of the National Guard Bureau, serving from 2008 to 2012. He is the first officer from the National Guard to ever achieve the grade of a four-star general.

Kenneth Stephen Wilsbach is a General in the United States Air Force. He is the commander, United States Pacific Air Forces; commander, Air Component Command, United States Indo-Pacific Command, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Lieutenant General C.D. Moore II is Commander, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The organization is the single center responsible for total life cycle management covering all aircraft, engines, munitions, and electronic systems.

Gilmary Michael "Mike" Hostage III is a retired United States Air Force four-star general who last served as commander, Air Combat Command from September 13, 2011 to October 2014. He previously served as commander, United States Air Forces Central, Southwest Asia. He retired from the Air Force after over 37 years of service.

Charles Quinton Brown Jr. is a United States Air Force four-star general who currently serves as the 22nd chief of staff of the Air Force. He is the first African-American to be appointed as chief of staff and the first African-American to lead any branch of the United States Armed Forces. Brown assumed office from Gen. David L. Goldfein who served as chief of staff since 2016 in a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews on 6 August 2020.

Major General Steven A. Cray was the Adjutant General of Vermont. In this post he served as the senior uniformed officer in the state, and was responsible for the organization, training and equipping of the 4,000 members of the Vermont Army and Air National Guard. As adjutant general, he also served as inspector general, quartermaster general and head of the State Military Department, including the Vermont State Guard and Veterans Affairs.

Jeannie Marie Leavitt is a United States Air Force general officer. She became the U.S. Air Force's first female fighter pilot in 1993, and was the first woman to command a USAF combat fighter wing. In April 2021, she was appointed to replace Major General John T. Rauch as Chief of Safety of the United States Air Force, and assumed office on August 13, 2021. Brigadier General Brenda P. Cartier is slated to replace her as the director operations and communications of the Air Education and Training Command.

Joseph Lauren Lengyel is a retired United States Air Force four-star general who last served as the 28th chief of the National Guard Bureau from August 2016 to August 2020. As chief, he was responsible for ensuring that nearly 460,000 Army National Guard and Air National Guard personnel are accessible, capable and ready to protect the homeland and to provide combat capabilities to the United States Army and the United States Air Force. Lengyel is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours primarily in the F-16.

Tod Daniel Wolters is a United States Air Force four-star general who currently serves as the commander of U.S. European Command. He concurrently serves as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). He previously served as the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and U.S. Air Forces Africa. He assumed his current assignment at the European Command in Germany on May 2, 2019 and at the Allied Command in Belgium on May 3, 2019.

Anthony James Rock is a lieutenant general of the U.S. Air Force and last served as the Inspector General of the Air Force assigned within the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.

Brett T. Williams is a retired United States Air Force major general who served as director of operations for U.S. Cyber Command from July 2012 to June 2014. He retired from the Air Force on June 1, 2014.

Jeffrey Lee Harrigian is a United States Air Force general and the commander of United States Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa. He concurrently serves as the commander of Allied Air Command and director of the Joint Air Power Competence Center. He previously served as deputy commander and as commander of United States Air Forces Central Command. Raised in Sparks, Nevada, he graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in International Affairs and was commissioned in 1985. He assumed his current assignment on May 1, 2019.

Scott L. Pleus is a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force. Pleus is Deputy Commander, United States Forces Korea; Commander, Air Component Command United Nations Command; Commander, Air Component Command, Combined Forces Command; and Commander, Seventh Air Force. He is also the United States representative to the joint committee for the Status of Forces agreement between the two countries.

David R. Iverson is an active duty United States Air Force officer who most recently served as the Vice Director for Joint Force Development (J7) on the Joint Staff from July 2019 to July 2021. Supporting Vice Admiral Stuart B. Munsch, then the Director, J7, Iverson provides oversight and direction of a diverse organization that provides for joint training, joint force development, concept development, operational analysis and lesson-learned activities to achieve the chairman's vision for the National Military Strategy. Before this assignment, he served as the Commanding General of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing from June 2018 to June 2019.

Lance K. Landrum is an active duty United States Air Force major general who served as the Director of Operations (J3) for United States European Command from July 2020 to July 2021. In September 2021, he was nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and assignment as deputy chair of the NATO Military Committee.

Lieutenant General John L. Dolan is a retired United States Air Force officer who last served as the Director for Operations (J-3) on the Joint Chiefs of Staff from August 2016 to October 2018. Before that, he served as the commander of United States Forces Japan and commander of 5th Air Force from June 2015 to August 2016.

Lieutenant General Salvatore A. "Sam" Angelella is a retired United States Air Force officer who last served as commander, United States Forces Japan and commander, 5th Air Force from July 2012 to August 2015.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: " https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/article/108634/lieutenant-general-william-h-etter/ ".

↑ "LIEUTENANT GENERAL WILLIAM H. ETTER". www.af.mil.
↑ "William Etter – Recipient -". valor.militarytimes.com.
↑ "Gen Etter visit to 177th Fighter Wing". www.1af.acc.af.mil.
↑ "Capabilities of the National Guard | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org.
↑ "Lt. Gen. William Etter takes over reins of First Air Force".

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "LIEUTENANT GENERAL WILLIAM H. ETTER". www.af.mil.

[2] "William Etter – Recipient -". valor.militarytimes.com.

[3] "Gen Etter visit to 177th Fighter Wing". www.1af.acc.af.mil.

[4] "Capabilities of the National Guard | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org.

[5] "Lt. Gen. William Etter takes over reins of First Air Force".

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]