Maj. Gen. Margaret H. Woodward is Commander, 17th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command serves as the Air Component for U.S. Africa Command and has responsibility for all Air Force activities in the Africa theater spanning 53 countries, 11 million square miles and more than 900 million people.
General Woodward entered the Air Force in 1983 as a graduate of Arizona State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering. Her career includes a variety of operational and staff positions, including command at the squadron, group and wing levels. She flew and commanded in operations Just Cause, Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The general served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as the Director of Protocol and military assistant, and she was the Deputy Director for Colonel Matters, Air Force Senior Leader Management Office, Washington, D.C. Prior to her current assignment, General Woodward was Vice Commander, 18th Air Force, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
General Woodward is a command pilot with more than 3,800 hours in the C-40, KC-135, C-37, T-38 and T-37.
EDUCATION
1982 Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe
1995 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1997 Master’s degree in aviation science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
2001 Master’s degree in national security strategy, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1983 – November 1983, student, undergraduate pilot training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
2. November 1983 – April 1987, T-38 instructor pilot, Columbus AFB, Miss.
3. April 1987 – September 1990, KC-135 flight examiner and aircraft commander, Plattsburgh AFB, N.Y.
4. September 1990 – August 1994, T-38 flight commander, flight examiner and operations group executive officer, Laughlin AFB, Texas
5. August 1994 – July 1995, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
6. July 1995 – July 1998, Deputy Director and Director, Protocol, Office of the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
7. July 1998 – July 2000, operations officer and Commander, 97th Air Refueling Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
8. July 2000 – July 2001, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
9. July 2001 – March 2002, Director, Commander’s Action Group, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, and Deputy Chief, Strategy, Concepts and Doctrine Division, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
10. March 2002 – March 2004, Commander, 12th Operations Group, Randolph AFB, Texas
11. March 2004 – February 2005, Deputy Director for Colonel Matters, Air Force Senior Leader Management Office, Washington, D.C.
12. February 2005 – March 2007, Commander, 6th Air Mobility Wing, MacDill AFB, Fla.
13. March 2007 – January 2009, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, Andrews AFB, Md.
14. January 2009 – June 2010, Vice Commander, 18th Air Force, Scott AFB, Ill.
15. June 2010 – present, Commander, 17th Air Force, Ramstein AB, Germany.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
July 1995 – July 1998, Deputy Director and Director, Protocol, Office of the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a major and lieutenant colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,800
Aircraft flown: T-37B, T-38A, KC-135A, KC-135Q, KC-135R, KC-135T, C-37A and C-40B
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Oct. 20, 1982
First Lieutenant Oct. 20, 1984
Captain Oct. 20, 1986
Major Oct. 1, 1994
Lieutenant Colonel Jan. 1, 1998
Colonel Aug. 1, 2002
Brigadier General June 24, 2008
Major General April 1, 2011
(Current as of April 2011)