Michael W. Wooley
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1972–2007
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	Air Force Special Operations Command Third Air Force Tanker Airlift Control Center 86th Airlift Wing 375th Airlift Wing 17th Military Airlift Squadron
Awards	Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal
Alma mater	Webster University Harvard Kennedy School

Lieutenant General Michael W. Wooley is a retired United States Air Force officer. He finished his career as Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The command is a major command of the United States Air Force and the Air Force component of the United States Special Operations Command. AFSOC provides Air Force Special Operations Forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to unified combatant commanders. At the time of his retirement, the command had approximately 12,900 active-duty, Reserve, Air National Guard, and civilian professionals.^[1]

Military career

Wooley received his commission from Officer Training School and is a distinguished graduate of undergraduate pilot training at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. He has commanded the 17th Military Airlift Squadron, the 375th and 86th Airlift Wings, the Tanker Airlift Control Center, and was Commander of the Air Force Special Operations Command. At United States Forces Korea, Wooley was responsible for formulating strategy and policy for matters pertaining to the Republic of Korea and Northeast Asia. Prior to assuming his current position, he was Commander, Third Air Force, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England.

Wooley is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours.

Education

• 1972 Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, Northeast Louisiana State University
• 1976 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
• 1981 Master of Science degree in business and management, Webster University
• 1983 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
• 1985 Air War College, by seminar
• 1992 Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
• 1999 Executive Program for General Officers of the Russian Federation and the United States, John F. Kennedy * School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
• 2003 Black Sea Security Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Assignments

• 1. October 1972 – September 1973, student and distinguished graduate, undergraduate pilot training, Vance AFB, Okla.
• 2. October 1973 – November 1974, C-141 tanker and transport unit training, Altus AFB, Okla.; land survival training, Fairchild AFB, Wash.; and water survival training, Homestead AFB, Fla.
• 3. November 1974 – May 1979, C-141A co-pilot, first pilot, aircraft commander, instructor, and aide-de-camp, 20th Military Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
• 4. May 1979 – August 1982, readiness initiatives analyst, Headquarters Military Airlift Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
• 5. August 1982 – June 1983, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
• 6. June 1983 – February 1984, C-141 pilot, 41st Military Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
• 7. February 1984 – February 1985, C-141 assistant chief pilot and special airlift mission planner, 41st Military Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
• 8. February 1985 – June 1985, Chief of Current Operations and Airlift Director, 41st Military Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
• 9. June 1985 – August 1987, assistant operations officer, later, operations officer, 41st Military Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
• 10. August 1987 – July 1989, Commander, 17th Military Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
• 11. July 1989 – April 1990, Chief, Foreign Clearance Section, and Chief, International Treaties Section, Arms Control and International Negotiations Division, Directorate of Plans, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
• 12. April 1990 – August 1991, Secretary for Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Security Council Matters, Directorate of Plans, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
• 13. August 1991 – July 1992, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
• 14. July 1992 – August 1994, Chief of Strategy and Policy, U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul, South Korea
• 15. August 1994 – November 1995, Chief, Inspections Division, Office of the Inspector General, Headquarters AMC, Scott AFB, Ill.
• 16. November 1995 – May 1997, Commander, 375th Airlift Wing, Scott AFB, Ill.
• 17. May 1997 – July 1998, Vice Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
• 18. July 1998 – April 1999, Commander, 86th Airlift Wing and Kaiserslautern Military Community, Ramstein AB, Germany
• 19. April 1999 – June 1999, Commander, 86th Air Expeditionary Wing and KMC, Ramstein AB, Germany
• 20. June 1999 – January 2000, Commander, 86th Airlift Wing and KMC, Ramstein AB, Germany
• 21. January 2000 – June 2002, Commander, Tanker Airlift Control Center, Headquarters AMC, Scott AFB, Ill.
• 22. June 2002 – June 2004, Commander, 3rd Air Force, RAF Mildenhall, England
• 23. July 2004 – November 2007, Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

Flight Information

• Rating: Command pilot
• Flight hours: More than 4,000
• Aircraft flown: AC-130H, C-9A, C-21, C-130E, C-141A/B, EC-130E, MC-130E, MH-53J, MH-60G, CV-22, and U-28

Awards and decorations

US Air Force Command Pilot Badge

	Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
	Defense Superior Service Medal
	Legion of Merit with one bronze oak leaf cluster
	Bronze Star Medal
	Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
	Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
	Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
	Joint Service Commendation Medal
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters
	Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster
	Combat Readiness Medal
	National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars
	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
	Kosovo Campaign Medal
	Humanitarian Service Medal with service star
	Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon
	Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon
	Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters
	Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
	Air Force Training Ribbon
	Order of National Security Merit Sam-Il Medal (Republic of Korea)

Effective Dates And Promotions

• Second Lieutenant September 20, 1972
• First Lieutenant September 20, 1974
• Captain September 20, 1976
• Major December 3, 1980
• Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 1986
• Colonel November 1, 1991
• Brigadier General September 1, 1997
• Major General October 1, 2000
• Lieutenant General August 1, 2004

(Current as of April 2008)

References

• This article includes content from the Official United States Air Force Biography of Michael W. Wooley, which as a work of the U.S. Government is presumed to be a public domain resource.