Kenneth Wilsbach
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Kenneth Stephen Wilsbach (born ) is a
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
who serves as the commander of
Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...
. He previously served as the commander of
Pacific Air Forces The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PAC ...
from 2020 to 2024.


Military career

Wilsbach was commissioned in 1985 as a distinguished graduate of the
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
's
Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps The Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA ...
program, and earned his pilot wings in 1986 at
Laughlin Air Force Base Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located east of Del Rio, Texas. Overview Laughlin AFB, the largest Aviator, pilot training base in the US Air Force, is home to the 47th Flying Training Wing of the Air Educa ...
, Texas. He has commanded a fighter squadron, an operations group, and two wings, and has held various staff assignments including director of operations, Combined Air Operations Center, and director of operations,
United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilit ...
. Wilsbach served as director of operations for
Pacific Air Forces The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PAC ...
at
Hickam Air Force Base Hickam Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) United States Air Force installation, installation, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lieutenant Colonel (United States), Lieutenant Colonel Horace Meek Hickam. The installation merged ...
in
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. From 2006 through 2008 he served as commander of the
53rd Wing The 53rd Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing reports to the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, which in turn reports to Headquarters Air Combat Comma ...
at
Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso, Florida, Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test ...
in
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. Wilsbach was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on 17 August 2009 and served as the commander of the
18th Wing The United States Air Force's 18th Wing is the host wing for Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan and is the Air Force's largest combat wing. It is the largest and principal organization in the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force. The Wing's 18th ...
at
Kadena Air Base, Japan (IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its highly strategic locat ...
. He was the commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force- Iraq; Commander-Air, U.S. Forces- Iraq; and Chief of Staff-Air, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command. He oversaw three air expeditionary air wings and three expeditionary groups consisting of more than 6,900 Airmen directly engaged in combat operations, and advised on joint expeditionary tasked/individual augmentee taskings in the Iraq combined joint operating area. Additionally, Wilsbach served as the Central Command Combined Forces Air Component Commander's personal representative to the commander of Headquarters ISAF as well as the Commander-Air to the Commander U.S. Forces- Iraq, ensuring the optimal integration of air and space power in support of Headquarters ISAF and Operation Enduring Freedom missions. In June 2018, while serving as commander of the
Eleventh Air Force The Eleventh Air Force (11 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska.This unit is not related to the Eleventh Air Force headquart ...
, Wilsbach was nominated for reassignment as deputy commander of
United States Forces Korea The United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a Unified Combatant Command#Subordinate Unified Command, sub-unified command of United States Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK was initially established in 1957, and e ...
and commander of the
Seventh Air Force The Seventh Air Force (Air Forces Korea) (7 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The command's mission is to plan and direct air component operations in ...
. In May 2020, Wilsbach was nominated for promotion to
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
and reassignment as commander,
Pacific Air Forces The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PAC ...
(PACAF), and Air Component Commander for
United States Indo-Pacific Command The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is the unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific, Indo-Pacific region. It is the oldest and largest of the unified combatant commands. Lead ...
. In May 2023, Wilsbach was nominated for assignment as commander,
Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...
. Wilsbach has flown 71 combat missions in Operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch and Enduring Freedom.


Education

* 1985 Bachelor of Science degree in broadcast communication, University of Florida, Gainesville * 1990 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. * 1992 USAF Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev. * 1997 Master of Aerospace Science degree, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla. * 1998 Master of Science degree in national securities and strategic studies, Naval Command and Staff College, Newport, R.I. * 2003 Master of Arts degree in national security strategy, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. * 2006 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C. * 2007 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill * 2008 Program for Senior Executive Fellows, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. * 2010 Joint Forces Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala. * 2011 CAPSTONE Executive Development Course, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. * 2013 Coalition Forces Land Component Commander Course, Carlisle Barracks, Pa. * 2014 End mission at Afghanistan. * 2015 Syria for special duty with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).


Assignments

* November 1985 – October 1986, student, undergraduate pilot training, Laughlin AFB, Texas * July 1987 – February 1991, F-15 instructor pilot, 94th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va. * February 1991 – July 1993, F-15 instructor pilot and APG-63/70 Test Team Manager, 84th Test Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla. * July 1993 – May 1996, instructor pilot and chief, weapons and tactics, 44th Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan * May 1996 – July 1997, aide-de-camp to Commander in Chief, Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii * August 1997 – June 1998, student, Naval Command and Staff College, Newport, R.I. * September 1998 – June 2000, assistant operations officer, and operations officer, 19th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska * June 2000 – May 2002, commander, 19th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska * July 2002 – June 2003, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. * July 2003 – July 2004, director of operations, Combined Air Operations Center, and director of operations, Central Command Air Forces Forward, Southwest Asia * September 2004 – May 2006, commander, 33rd Operations Group, Eglin AFB, Fla. * May 2006 – April 2008, commander, 53rd Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla. * April 2008 – June 2009, assistant director of operations, plans, requirements and programs, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, Hawaii * July 2009 – June 2011, commander, 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan * June 2011 – April 2013, deputy director for Operations, Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii * April 2013 – April 2014, commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force; commander, NATO Air Command-Afghanistan; deputy commander-air, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan; and deputy chief of staff-air, International Security Assistance Force-Afghanistan * May 2014 – August 2016, director of operations, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla. * August 2016 – August 2018, commander, Alaskan Region, North American Aerospace Defense Command; commander, Alaskan Command, U.S. Northern Command; and commander, 11th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska * August 2018 – July 2020, deputy commander, United States Forces Korea; commander, Air Component Command, United Nations Command; commander, Air Component Command, Combined Forces Command; and commander, 7th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea * July 2020 – February 2024, commander, Pacific Air Forces; air component commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; and executive director, Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii * February 2024–present, Commander, Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.


Flight Information

Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 4,500
Aircraft flown: F-16C, F-22A, MC-12W, F-15A-D, T-38, T-37.


Awards and decorations


Promotions


References


External links


Official Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilsbach, Kenneth S. 1960s births Year of birth uncertain Living people University of Florida alumni Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University alumni College of Naval Command and Staff alumni Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy alumni United States Air Force generals Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun United States Air Force personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)