Flag of the National Vice Commander of the Civil Air Patrol

The National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol (

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

: CAP/CC) is the highest senior official and

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered, federally supported Nonprofit corporation, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliaries, auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CA ...

(CAP) — a

non-profit corporation A nonprofit corporation is any legal entity which has been incorporated under the law of its jurisdiction for purposes other than making profits for its owners or shareholders. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, a nonprofit corporation ma ...

that is congressionally chartered to operate as the civilian auxiliary of the

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 ...

. The National Commander also serves as the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

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 The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

agencies, and ensuring U.S. Air Force and other U.S. Government support to CAP.af.mil Civil Air Patrol-U.S. Air Force Accessed 14 October 2022
/ref>

History

From its creation on 1 December 1941 until 31 August 1975, the National Commander of CAP was an appointed

active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. Indian The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one of the largest active service forces in the world, with almost 1.42 million Active Standin ...

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

— typically a

general officer 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 ...

— of the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(until September 1947) or the

(after it became an independent service in September 1947). This National Commander was usually the sitting Civil Air Patrol-United States Air Force Commander. 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. Retired U.S. Air Force

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 ...

Carl A. Spaatz assumed the position of Chairman about a week after Colonel Stone's death, and is widely regarded as the first Chairman. 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. 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,Grade & Position Pamphlet - Charles Composite Squadron Accessed 11 October 2022
/ref> 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Since 2012, the National Commander of the CAP also has served as the

of the CAP Corporation. The current National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol is Major General Regena M. Aye.

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. 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. CAP-USAF personnel are also the primary function interface between other federal agencies and the CAP. CAP-USAF was established on 28 August 1948 under the U.S. Air Force Headquarters. CAP-USAF was transferred to

Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary aug ...

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 The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern & Air Forces Space; 1 AF-AFNORTH & AFSPACE) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission i ...

under

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 ...

, as part of an effort to better integrate CAP as a Total Force Member. As of 2020, CAP-USAF was staffed with approximately 200 active-duty,

United States Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

, and civilian personnel at CAP National Headquarters at

Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. ...

with locations in:

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

(Detachment 1,

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

(Detachment 2,

Joint Base Andrews Joint Base Andrews (JBA) is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force (USAF) 316th Wing, Air Force District of Washington (AFDW). The bas ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

(Detachment 3,

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene County, Ohio, Greene and Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patte ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

(Detachment 4,

Dobbins Air Reserve Base Dobbins Air Reserve Base or Dobbins ARB is a United States Air Force reserve air base located in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb about northwest of Atlanta. Originally known as Dobbins Air Force Base, it was named in honor of Captain Charles M ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

(Detachment 5),

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

(Detachment 6),

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

(Detachment 7,

Peterson Space Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a United States Space Force base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

(Detachment 8,

Beale Air Force Base Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base in Yuba County, California, Yuba County, California. It is outside Linda, California, Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville, California, Marysville and Yuba City, and abo ...

), and

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 ...

. 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".

List of officeholders

USAAF/CAP-USAF Commanders

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. *Maj Gen

John F. Curry Major General John Francis Curry (April 22, 1886 – March 4, 1973) was the first national commander of the Civil Air Patrol, the United States Air Force Auxiliary. He was also a major general in the United States Army Air Corps. Biography C ...

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

; 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 – 13 April 2022 *Col Tyler P. Frander, USAF; 13 April 2022 - August 2023 *Col Aaron D. Reid, USAF; Aug 2023 - Present

Notes

References

{{reflist Civil Air Patrol People of the Civil Air Patrol Lists of American military personnel