National Commander of Civil Air Patrol
Flag of the National Commander
Incumbent
Major General Edward D. Phelka
since 26 August 2021
Civil Air Patrol
StyleNational Commander
StatusChief executive officer
AbbreviationCAP/CC
Member ofCAP Command Council
CAP Senior Advisory Group
AppointerCAP Board of Governors
Term lengthThree years,
can be extended
Constituting instrumentCAP Constitution and Bylaws[1]
FormationDecember 1, 1941 (1941-12-01)
First holderMaj Gen John F. Curry, USAAF
DeputyNational Vice Commander of the Civil Air Patrol
Websitewww.gocivilairpatrol.com
The flag of a CAP brigadier general. It served as the flag of the national commander until 1 December 2002, when it became the flag of the national vice commander.

The National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol (acronym: CAP/CC) is the highest senior official and commanding officer of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) — a non-profit corporation that is congressionally chartered to operate as the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. The National Commander also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of CAP.

The National Commander works in close collaboration with Civil Air Patrol–U.S. Air Force (CAP-USAF), a U.S. Air Force command whose commander is responsible for overseeing CAP programs, liaison between the CAP and U.S. Air Force and other United States Government agencies, and ensuring U.S. Air Force and other U.S. Government support to CAP.[2]

History

From its creation on 1 December 1941 until 31 August 1975, the National Commander of CAP was an appointed active duty commissioned officer — typically a general officer — of the United States Army Air Forces (until September 1947) or the United States Air Force (after it became an independent service in September 1947). This National Commander was usually the sitting Civil Air Patrol-United States Air Force Commander.[3]

Upon adoption of the CAP Constitution and Bylaws on 26 May 1948, the CAP was incorporated and officially became the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and the CAP National Board was redesignated as the National Executive Board (NEB).

CAP Colonel George Andress Stone was the sitting CAP National Board Chairman, therefore became the Chairman of the NEB. Colonel Stone died in an aircraft accident while returning home from a NEB meeting in August 1948.[3] Retired U.S. Air Force General Carl A. Spaatz assumed the position of Chairman about a week after Colonel Stone's death, and is widely regarded as the first Chairman.[4] The board became the National Executive Committee (NEC) on 26 April 1960, with the position of Chairman continuing to serve as the head of CAP. The Chairman continued to answer to the National Commander, who was still the CAP-USAF Commander.[3]

On 1 September 1975, the position of Chairman of the National Board was redesignated as National Commander, held by an active civilian CAP member with the CAP rank of brigadier general,[5] with only sitting and former national commanders who served in the position on or after 1 September 1975 holding the CAP rank of brigadier general.[5] The former U.S. Air Force-appointed National Commander position was redesignated as the Executive Director of the CAP. On 8 March 1995, during a reorganization of CAP National Headquarters, the title of Executive Director was changed to Senior Air Force Advisor.[3]

On 1 December 2002, the National Commander position was elevated to the rank of major general, with the national vice commander becoming a brigadier general.[5] Current and former national commanders who held the position after 1 December 2002 are the only CAP members who hold the CAP rank of major general.[5] Former National Commanders who held the position prior to 1 December 2002 and sitting National Vice Commanders and those who held the position of National Vice Commander on or after 1 December 2002 are the only CAP members who hold the CAP rank of brigadier general.[5]

Since 2012, the National Commander of the CAP also has served as the chief executive officer of the CAP Corporation.[lower-alpha 1]

The current National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol is Major General Edward Phelka.[6]

Civil Air Patrol-United States Air Force

Civil Air Patrol-United States Air Force (CAP-USAF) is the U.S. Air Force command responsible for ensuring the CAP is organized, trained, and equipped to fulfill Air Force-assigned missions.[2] Operating alongside the CAP's civilian leadership, CAP-USAF provides day-to-day support, advice, and liaison to the CAP’s more than 60,000 members and provides oversight for CAP programs, with emphasis on safety and program requirements.[2] CAP-USAF personnel are also the primary function interface between other federal agencies and the CAP.[2]

CAP-USAF was established on 28 August 1948[7] under the U.S. Air Force Headquarters. CAP-USAF was transferred to Continental Air Command on 1 January 1959. Following Continental Air Command's inactivation in 1968, CAP-USAF was realigned back to U.S. Air Force Headquarters. On 1 July 1976, CAP-USAF was realigned under Air University. It would become aligned under Air University's Jeanne M. Holm Officer Accession and Citizen Development Center on 11 June 2009. On 16 June 2016, it would be realigned to the First Air Force under Air Combat Command, as part of an effort to better integrate CAP as a Total Force Member.[8]

As of 2020, CAP-USAF was staffed with approximately 200 active-duty, United States Air Force Reserve, and civilian personnel at CAP National Headquarters at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base with locations in: New Jersey (Detachment 1, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst), Maryland (Detachment 2, Joint Base Andrews), Ohio (Detachment 3, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), Georgia (Detachment 4, Dobbins Air Reserve Base), Minnesota (Detachment 5), Texas (Detachment 6), Colorado (Detachment 7, Peterson Space Force Base), California (Detachment 8, Beale Air Force Base), and Florida.

CAP-USAF currently runs a program known as the Civil Air Patrol Reserve Assistance Program (CAPRAP). This program is for Category E Reservists, those who participate for reserve "points" towards retirement but without pay, to act as a liaison between the Air Force and local CAP units. Individual Mobilization Augmentees and Traditional Reservists (two other reserve categories) are also eligible to participate in the program as a way to earn additional "points".[9]

List of officeholders

No. Portrait Name
(birth–death)		 Term of office
Took office Left office Time in office
U.S Army Air Forces / U.S. Air Force CAP National Commanders (1941-1948)[3]
1 Maj Gen, USAAF
John F. Curry
(1886–1973)[10]		 1 December 1941 10 March 1942 3 months
2 Brig Gen, USAAF[lower-alpha 2]
Earle L. Johnson
(1895-1947)[12]		 10 March 1942 16 February 1947 4 years, 11 months
3 Brig Gen, USAAF
Frederic H. Smith Jr.
(1908-1980)[13]		 16 February 1947 30 September 1947 1 year, 7 months
4 Maj Gen, USAF
Lucas V. Beau
(1895-1986)[14]		 1 October 1947 26 May 1948 7 months
Chairman of the CAP National Executive Board (1948–1960)[3]
5 Col
George A. Stone
(1902-1948)[15]		 26 May 1948 20 August 1948 2 months
6 Gen, USAF (Ret)
Carl A. Spaatz
(1891-1974)[16]		 26 August 1948 27 April 1959 10 years, 8 months
7 Col
David H. Byrd
(1900-1986)[17]		 28 April 1959 26 April 1960 11 months
Chairman of the CAP National Executive Committee (1960–1975)[3]
8 Col
William C. Whelen
 26 April 1960 8 September 1962 2 years, 4 months
9 Col
Paul W. Turner
 8 September 1962 30 October 1965 3 years, 1 month
10 Brig Gen[lower-alpha 3]
Lyle W. Castle
(1922-2008)		 30 October 1965 18 October 1968 2 years, 11 months
11 Brig Gen
Frank W. Reilly[lower-alpha 4]
 18 October 1968 10 October 1970 1 year, 11 months
12 Brig Gen
Samuel H. du Pont Jr.
(1936-2021)		 10 October 1970 14 October 1973 3 years
13 Brig Gen
William M. Patterson		 14 October 1973 18 September 1975 1 year, 11 months
CAP National Commander (1975–present)[3]
13 Brig Gen
William M. Patterson		 18 September 1975 19 September 1976 1 year
14 Brig Gen
Thomas C. Casaday
(1918–2010)[18]		 19 September 1976 30 September 1979 3 years
15 Brig Gen
Johnnie Boyd
(1927–2013)[19][20]		 30 September 1979 14 August 1982 2 years, 10 months
16 Brig Gen
Howard L. Brookfield
(1929–2019)[21]		 14 August 1982 4 August 1984 1 year, 11 months
17 Brig Gen
William B. Cass
(1934-2022)[22]		 4 August 1984 22 March 1986 1 year, 7 months
18 Maj Gen[23]
Eugene E. Harwell
(1930–2020)[24]		 22 March 1986 11 August 1990 4 years, 4 months
19 Brig Gen
Warren J. Barry
(1922–2015)[25]		 11 August 1990 14 August 1993 3 years
20 Brig Gen
Richard L. Anderson
 14 August 1993 10 August 1996 2 years, 11 months
21 Brig Gen
Paul M. Bergman
(1940–2012)[26]		 10 August 1996 6 March 1998 1 year, 6 months
22 Brig Gen
James C. Bobick		 6 March 1998 18 August 2001 3 years, 5 months
23 Maj Gen[lower-alpha 5]
Richard L. Bowling		 18 August 2001 21 August 2004 3 years
24 Maj Gen
Dwight H. Wheless
(1940–2017)		 21 August 2004 1 July 2005[28] 10 months
25 Maj Gen (Revoked)[lower-alpha 6]
Antonio J. Pineda		 1 July 2005 2 October 2007 2 years, 3 months
26 Maj Gen
Amy Courter
 2 October 2007[lower-alpha 7] 7 August 2008 10 months
7 August 2008[lower-alpha 8] 17 August 2011 3 years
27 Maj Gen
Charles L. Carr Jr.		 17 August 2011[32] 15 August 2014 2 years, 11 months
28 Maj Gen
Joseph Vazquez		 15 August 2014[33] 2 September 2017 3 years
29 Maj Gen
Mark E. Smith		 2 September 2017[34] 26 August 2021 3 years, 11 months
30 Maj Gen
Edward D. Phelka		 26 August 2021[6] Incumbent 2 years

USAAF/CAP-USAF Commanders

Civil Air Patrol-United States Air Force Emblem

U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force National Commanders of the CAP prior to its 1948 incorporation are considered part of the lineage of the command history of CAP-USAF.[3]

  • Maj Gen John F. Curry, USAAF; Dec 1941 – Mar 1942
  • Brig Gen Earle L. Johnson, USAAF; 10 March 1942 – 16 February 1947
  • Brig Gen Frederic H. Smith Jr., USAAF; 16 February 1947 – 30 September 1947
  • Maj Gen Lucas V. Beau, USAF; 1 October 1947 – 31 December 1955
  • Maj Gen Walter R. Agee, USAF; 1 January 1956 – 31 March 1959
  • Brig Gen Stephen D. McElroy, USAF; 1 April 1959 – 15 December 1961
  • Col Paul C. Ashworth, USAF; 15 December 1961 – 31 July 1964
  • Col Joe L. Mason, USAF; 1 August 1964 – 30 April 1967
  • Brig Gen William W. Wilcox, USAF; 1 May 1967 – 31 October 1968
  • Maj Gen Walter B. Putnam, USAF; 1 November 1968 – 31 October 1969
  • Brig Gen Richard N. Ellis, USAF; 1 November 1969 – 31 October 1972
  • Brig Gen Leslie J. Westberg, USAF; 1 November 1972 – 28 August 1975
  • Brig Gen Carl S. Miller, USAF; 29 August 1975 – 31 October 1977
  • Brig Gen Paul E. Gardner, USAF; 1 November 1977 – 31 July 1980
  • Brig Gen Horace W. Miller, USAF; 1 August 1980 – 1 September 1981
  • Brig Gen David L. Patton, USAF; 1 September 1981 – 31 May 1984
  • Col John T. Massingale Jr., USAF; 1 June 1984 – October 1989
  • Col Clyde O. Westbrook Jr., USAF; November 1989 – June 1990
  • Col Joseph M. Nall, USAF; June 1990 – August 1992
  • Col Ronald T. Sampson, USAF; August 1992 – 8 March 1995
  • Col Garland W. Padgett Jr., USAF; 8 March 1995 – 4 May 1998
  • Col Dennis B. Parkhurst, USAF; 4 May 1998 – 16 July 2001
  • Col Albert A. Allenback, USAF; 16 July 2001 – 12 July 2002
  • Col George C. Vogt, USAF; July 2002 – October 2005
  • Col Russell D. Hodgkins Jr., USAF; October 2005 – April 2009
  • Col William R. (Bill) Ward, USAF; April 2009 – 31 June 2011
  • Col George H. Ross III, USAF; 1 July 2011 – 4 October 2011
  • Col Paul D. Gloyd II, USAF; 4 October 2011 – May 2014
  • Col Jay Updegraff, USAF; May 2014 – August 2014
  • Col Michael D. Tyynismaa, USAF; August 2014 – 17 April 2019
  • Col Mark A. Wootan, USAF; 17 April 2019[35] – 13 April 2022
  • Col Tyler P. Frander, USAF; 13 April 2022[36] - August 2023
  • Col Aaron D. Reid, USAF; Aug 2023[37] - Present

Notes

  1. ↑ Change made upon adoption of the Constitution and Bylaws of the CAP Corporation made official on October 1, 2012.
  2. ↑ Posthumously promoted from Col to Brig Gen following his death in 1947, effective date of rank: 3 Feb 1947[11]
  3. ↑ USAF approved the grade of Brigadier General, CAP, via order PANHQ 9, March 15, 1968
  4. ↑ Some documents refer to him as "F. Ward Reilly"
  5. ↑ On December 1, 2002, the Air Force Chief of Staff, General John P. Jumper, announced that the position of National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol would be promoted from a Brig Gen to a Maj Gen. Subsequently, the Vice National Commander Position was promoted from a Col to a Brig Gen.[27]
  6. ↑ On August 6, 2007, the Civil Air Patrol Board of Governors suspended the CAP national commander, Maj Gen Antonio J. Pineda, for a period of up to 180 days. Brig Gen Amy S. Courter, CAP national vice commander, assumed the duties of the National Commander during this period.[29]
  7. ↑ On October 2, 2007, the Civil Air Patrol Board of Governors voted 9-1 to remove Antonio Pineda from his position as National Commander. He was removed from the CAP and stripped of his grade after NEWS OF THE FORCE, a military news e-zine based in Tampa, FL., first broke the story that Pineda had cheated on his Air Force Air Command and Staff College tests.[30]
  8. ↑ Maj Gen Amy Courter was unanimously elected to the position of National Commander on August 7, 2008, during a live webcast. [31]

References

  1. ↑ "Constitution and Bylaws 2016" (PDF). gocivilairpatrol.com. August 27, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 af.mil Civil Air Patrol-U.S. Air Force Accessed 14 October 2022
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "CAP Lineage & Command History". Scribd. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Spaatz Award Fact Sheet" (PDF). gocivilairpatrol.com. March 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Grade & Position Pamphlet - Charles Composite Squadron Accessed 11 October 2022
  6. 1 2 "Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka" (PDF). Civil Air Patrol. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Civil Air Patrol, USAF (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. November 19, 2019.
  8. ↑ "1st Air Force participates in Civil Air Patrol Transfer of Authority ceremony". NORAD. June 24, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Flexible reserve opportunities supporting Air Force auxiliary". Air Force Reserve Command. March 21, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Biography of Curry, John Francis". Generals.dk. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  11. ↑ Special Order 41, United States War Department, 27 Feb 1947
  12. ↑ "Civil Air Patrol Chief Dies With Two Others in Crash". New York Times. February 17, 1947. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Gen. Frederic Smith, 82; Retired From Air Force". New York Times. May 29, 1980. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Maj. Gen. Lucas Beau Dies; Commanded Civil Air Patrol". New York Times. October 24, 1986. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  15. ↑ "George Andress Stone". Arlington National Cemetery. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  16. ↑ Johnston, Laurie (July 15, 1974). "Gen. Carl A. Spaatz, 83, Dead; First Air Force Chief of Staff". The New York Times. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  17. ↑ Palmer, Jerrell (November 1, 1994). "Byrd, David Harold (1900–1986)". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Thomas Casaday, former national Civil Air Patrol commander and Birmingham native, dies". AL.com. August 20, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Johnnie Boyd Obituary". Legacy.com. May 19, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  20. ↑ "RIP Gen Johnnie Boyd". CAP Talk. May 22, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Former National Commander, 90, Dies at Calif. Home". CAP News. August 27, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Cass, Former National Commander, Blue Beret Founder, Passes at 87". CAP News. May 18, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  23. ↑ Brig Gen Harwell was promoted to Maj Gen via CAP PANHQ Order 33, 24 Aug 1988. The National Vice Commander was also promoted to Brig Gen. He would be the only National Commander to hold this rank until 2002.
  24. ↑ "Harwell, Natl. Commander from 1986-1990, Passes at 90". CAP News. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Warren Barry Obituary". legacy.com. March 18, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Paul Bergman Obituary". legacy.com. May 31, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Upgraded: Civil Air Patrol Commanders". Aero News Network. November 30, 2002. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Maj Gen Wheless resigns!". CAP Talk. June 16, 2005. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  29. ↑ "U.S. Civil Air Patrol's Board of Governors suspends CAP national commander". CAP News Online. August 6, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
  30. ↑ Archived August 31, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
  31. ↑ "Courter elected CAP national commander". Civil Air Patrol. Archived from the original on September 16, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2008.
  32. ↑ "SER Archives-Maj Gen Charles Carr Jr". Southeast Region Civil Air Patrol. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Major General Joseph R. Vazquez" (PDF). Civil Air Patrol. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Major General Mark E. Smith" (PDF). Civil Air Patrol. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Col. Wootan Assumes CAP-USAF Command". CAP News. April 17, 2019.
  36. ↑ "New CAP-USAF Commander Installed". CAP News. April 13, 2023.
  37. ↑ "Colonel Aaron D. Reid" (PDF). gocivilairpatrol.com. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
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