Michael Minihan
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USAF General Michael A. "Mike" Minihan (born 1967) served as the commander of
Air Mobility Command The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, ...
from 2021 to 2024.


Career

Minihan was commissioned in 1989 through
Air Force ROTC 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 ...
at
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in Alabama, where he earned a
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in economics. He began his service in the Air Force as a
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pilot. From 2013 to 2021, Minihan held multiple key roles in the Pacific. He served as the deputy commander of
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 ...
from September 2019 to August 2021. He previously served as its chief of staff from January 2019 to September 2019. On July 26, 2018, Minihan, while serving as the chief of staff at
United Nations Command United Nations Command (UNC or UN Command) is the multinational military force established to support the South Korea, Republic of Korea (South Korea) during and after the Korean War. It was the first attempt at collective security by the U ...
, led a delegation to the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
to recover the remains of service members killed during the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. The mission came after negotiations between
Kim Jong Un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...
, the leader of North Korea, and President Donald J. Trump. In July 2021, he was nominated and confirmed 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 assignment as the commander of
Air Mobility Command The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, ...
, succeeding Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, who has been nominated to head
United States Transportation Command The United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is one of the eleven Unified combatant command, unified commands of the United States Department of Defense. In both times of peace and war, USTRANSCOM's role is to provide the Department of ...
. During his time commanding Air Mobility Command, Minihan re-envisioned Exercise Mobility Guardian in 2023, transitioning the exercise from a service-specific test of air mobility and logistics training executed over the continental United States to a joint and combined large-scale exercise in the Pacific. He also oversaw the rapid deployment of assistance to Ukraine, and later to Israel and Gaza. On Jan 28, 2022, Minihan attracted attention online when he posted on
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a screen shot of his personal calendar revealing a mental health appointment with the text, "Warrior Heart. No Stigma." Minihan later stated to Air and Space Forces Magazine of the post, “I’m only holding myself accountable to the same standards I expect from the amazing airmen and families that surround me. Mental health is simply health. There can be no stigma in my headquarters, command, or family. Warrior Heart is leadership. Warrior Heart is fine tuning mind, body, and craft to ensure individual and team readiness. It’s a wingman and warfighting imperative necessary to win.” On May 2, 2024, the enlisted force of Air Mobility Command bestowed their most prestigious honor—the
Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...
—to Minihan. AMC command chief, CMSgt Jamie Newman stated during the presentation, “Great leaders walk in front of you, beside you, and behind you,” said Newman. “When I first heard that, the first person I thought of was General Minihan,” before recounting several stories he personally experienced and witnessed. The common theme of the stories included connectedness and genuine care for anyone who crosses his path regardless of the rank. Minihan's father, Lt Gen Kenneth Minihan also received the honor in 1994.


Controversies

In January 2023, a memo written by Minihan to his subordinate commanders leaked on social media predicting that China would invade Taiwan in 2025 using the 2024 presidential elections in Taiwan and the
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as an excuse and a distraction respectively. He also directed his command to prepare with more aggressive training and in respect to their personal affairs. His Commander's Intent stated, "Go faster. Drive readiness, integration, and agility for ourselves and the Joint Force to deter, and if required, defeat China. This is the first of 8 monthly directives from me. You need to know I alone own the pen on these orders. My expectations are high, and these orders are not up for negotiation. Follow them. I will be tough, fair, and loving in my approach to secure victory." An official at the
United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
later told
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that Minihan's memo was "not representative of the department's view on China." Minihan later clarified via the Washington Post that he did not believe war with China was inevitable.


Awards and decorations

*General Minihan is also a recipient of the
Order of Saint Maurice The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, an ...
.


Effective dates of promotions


References

, - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Minihan, Michael 1967 births Living people Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Air Force personnel of the Iraq War United States Air Force generals