Mark Welsh
Mark Anthony Welsh III is Dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and a retired United States Air Force general. His last military assignment before retiring from the Air Force was as the 20th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate. Prior to that, General Welsh served as Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, as the Associate Director for Military Affairs of the Central Intelligence Agency, and as the Vice Commander of Air Education and Training Command. In earlier portions of his career, he served as a fighter pilot and was a commander at the squadron, group and wing level, in addition to assignments in training, operations, intelligence and acquisitions. He also served as the Commandant of the United States Air Force Academy. He was born in San Antonio, Texas, and entered the Air Force in June 1976 as a graduate of the Air Force Academy. He retired after more than 40 years of service on July 1, 2016.[1][2]
Military career
Welsh's military career culminated in achieving the rank of general (four stars) and serving as the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was appointed by President Barack Obama in May 2012, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee in July 2012 and was confirmed shortly thereafter by the United States Senate.[2] Welsh completed the customary four-year term for a "service chief," retiring in July 2016 after more than 40 years of military service.[3]
During his tenure as a service chief, Welsh "wore two hats" as is customary for the role. As the chief of a military service, he was the senior-ranking uniformed officer within the service, responsible for the organizing, training and equipping of over 600,000 Air Force personnel, as well as related budgeting and planning functions, liaison with other services and agencies, and interaction with legislators and policymakers. Separately, as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he offered advice to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council.[3]
Prior to his final assignment in Washington, Welsh served as the 34th Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Commander, Allied Air Command Ramstein, Germany, and Director, Joint Air Power Competence Center at Kalkar, Germany. He was responsible for Air Force activities, conducted through 3rd Air Force, in an area of operations covering almost one-fifth of the globe. This area includes 51 countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and the Arctic and Atlantic oceans with a total population reaching nearly one billion people speaking more than 80 languages. He also had administrative control of 17th Air Force, providing support, logistics and resources to U.S. Africa Command.[2]
Welsh previously served as Associate Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for Military Support and Associate Director for Military Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C. As the ADMA, he served as the principal advisor to the Director of the CIA on military matters and was the primary bridge between the CIA and the Department of Defense for the coordination and planning of military and interagency operations. Additionally, he assisted in the formulation of CIA policies regarding military affairs, managed the provision of direct support to deployed forces, and oversaw the Director of CIA representation at the combatant commands and senior service schools.
Prior to his role at the CIA, Welsh served as the Vice Commander of Air Education and Training Command, a major command of the Air Force responsible for the provision of training and professional education throughout the organization, comprising over 60,000 educators, researchers and related personnel across 12 major installations (schools).[4]
In earlier portions of his military career, Welsh was rated as a command pilot with extensive flying experience in fighter aircraft including the F-16 and the A-10. As an active fighter pilot, he was selected for command positions at the squadron, group and wing level, before progressing into more senior leadership roles.[2]
Bush School of Government and Public Service
Following his retirement from the military in 2016, Welsh was named Dean of the The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Although Welsh's alma mater is the United States Air Force Academy and he did not attend Texas A&M, he has a decades-long affinity for the university due to his father, children and various other family members attending the university.[5]
The Bush School was created in 1997 in connection with the establishment of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on Texas A&M's flagship campus. The Bush School offers graduate degree programs for students aspiring to careers in public service, and houses faculty specializing in international affairs, international policy, public service, public administration, homeland security, nonprofit management, and related fields. The school operates under President George H.W. Bush’s philosophy that “public service is a noble calling" and has become a leading public and international affairs graduate institution.[6]
In May 2020 the Bush School announced it had established a teaching site in Washington, D.C. within walking distance of the White House and other key government buildings.[7]
Education[2]
- 1972 Wentworth Military Academy and College, Lexington, Missouri
- 1976 Bachelor of Science degree, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
- 1984 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
- 1986 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
- 1987 Master of Science degree in computer resource management, Webster University
- 1988 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
- 1990 Air War College, by correspondence
- 1993 National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
- 1995 Fellow, Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 1998 Fellow, National Security Studies Program, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
- 1999 Fellow, Ukrainian Security Studies, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 2002 The General Manager Program, Harvard Business School, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- 2009 Fellow, Pinnacle Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
- 2009 Leadership at the Peak, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Assignments[2]
- August 1976 – July 1977, student, undergraduate pilot training, Williams Air Force Base, Arizona
- July 1977– January 1981, T-37 instructor pilot and class commander, Williams Air Force Base, Arizona
- January 1981 – May 1981, student, fighter lead-in training, Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico
- May 1981 – August 1981, student, A-10 training, Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
- August 1981 – May 1984, instructor pilot, flight commander and wing standardization and evaluation flight examiner, 78th Tactical Fighter Squadron and 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Station Woodbridge, England
- May 1984 – June 1987, Air Officer Commanding, Cadet Squadron 5, later, executive officer to the Commandant of Cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
- June 1987 – June 1988, student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
- June 1988 – October 1988, student, F-16 conversion training, Luke AFB, Arizona
- October 1988 – July 1992, operations officer, 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron, later, Commander, 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Hill AFB, Utah
- July 1992 – June 1993, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
- June 1993 – June 1995, Chief, Defense and Space Operations Division, Operations Directorate (J3), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
- June 1995 – April 1997, Commander, 347th Operations Group, Moody AFB, Ga.
- April 1997 – June 1998, Commander, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea
- June 1998 – June 1999, Commander, College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
- June 1999 – September 2001, Commandant of Cadets and Commander, 34th Training Wing, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
- September 2001 – April 2003, Director of Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany
- April 2003 – June 2005, Director of Global Power Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
- June 2005 – June 2007, Deputy Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, U.S. Strategic Command, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.
- July 2007 – August 2008, Vice Commander, Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas
- August 2008 – December 2010, Associate Director of the Central Intelligence Agency for Military Support/Associate Director for Military Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C.
- December 2010 – July 2012, Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, Air Component Command, Ramstein; and Director, Joint Air Power Competency Center, Ramstein AB, Germany
- August 2012 – June 2016, Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington D.C.
Summary of joint assignments[2]
- June 1993 – June 1995, Chief, Defense and Space Operations Division, Operations Directorate (J3), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel and a colonel
- June 2005 – June 2007, Deputy Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, U.S. Strategic Command, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., as a major general
- August 2008 – December 2010, Associate Director for Military Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C., as a major general and a lieutenant general
- December 2010 – July 2012, Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, Air Component Command, Ramstein; and Director, Joint Air Power Competency Center, Ramstein AB, Germany, as a general
Flight information[2]
Awards and decorations
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- In 2016, Welsh was named an honorary Tuskegee Airman. Also in 2016, on April 22, Welsh was inducted into the Order of the Sword, the highest honor bestowed on an officer by the Air Force enlisted corps.
Effective dates of promotion
United States Air Force Academy Cadet – Class of 1976
| Insignia | Rank | Date |
|---|---|---|
 | General | Dec. 13, 2010 |
 | Lieutenant General | Dec. 9, 2008 |
 | Major General | Aug. 1, 2003 |
 | Brigadier General | Aug. 1, 2000 |
 | Colonel | Feb. 1, 1994 |
 | Lieutenant Colonel | June 1, 1989 |
 | Major | May 1, 1985 |
 | Captain | June 2, 1980 |
 | First Lieutenant | June 2, 1978 |
 | Second Lieutenant | June 2, 1976 |
References
- "General Mark A. Welsh III Appointed Dean of the Bush School". May 26, 2016.
- "General Mark A. Welsh III". Retrieved May 8, 2014.
- "About the Service Chiefs".
- "Air Education and Training Command".
- "Donor Impact Stories".
- "About the Bush School".
- "Washington, DC Teaching Site".
- "El Libro Cronológico del Sistema de Cooperación entre las Fuerzas Aéreas Americanas" (PDF). SICOFAA. 2015. p. 37. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: "http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7550".
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mark A. Welsh III. |
- Speech at the U.S. Air Force Academy, November 1, 2011 on YouTube
- Culbert, A1C Alexa (April 27, 2016). "Enlisted corps bestows highest honor upon Welsh". Air Force News Service. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Roger Brady |
Commander of United States Air Forces in Europe 2010–2012 |
Succeeded by Philip Breedlove |
| Preceded by Norton Schwartz |
Chief of Staff of the Air Force 2012–2016 |
Succeeded by David L. Goldfein |
 | ||
