Craig Richard McKinley (born May 6, 1952) is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the 26th Chief of the National Guard Bureau, serving from 2008 to 2012. He is the first officer from the National Guard to achieve the grade of a four-star general. Prior to becoming chief, he served as the Director, Air National Guard from May 2006 to November 17, 2008. He retired after being succeeded by Frank J. Grass on September 7, 2012. At the ceremony where he transferred authority to his successor, McKinley received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal. McKinley's official retirement date was November 1, 2012.

Military career

McKinley received his commission in 1974 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Southern Methodist University. He served in numerous assignments in flying and operations, as well as command positions at group, wing, sector and field operating agency levels. He also served as Commander, First Air Force and Commander, Continental United States North American Aerospace Defense Command Southeast Region, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. McKinley is a command pilot with over 4,000 flight hours, primarily in the T-38 Talon, F-106 Delta Dart, F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-15 Eagle. Additionally, McKinley has been pilot in command in the C-131 Samaritan and C-130 Hercules Operational Support Airlift aircraft. As Chief of the National Guard Bureau, McKinley was the senior uniformed officer of the National Guard of the United States, and the state National Guard, responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, programs and plans affecting more than half a million federalized and non-federalized Army National Guard and Air National Guard personnel. Appointed by the president, he served as the principal adviser to the Secretary of the Army, Chief of Staff of the Army, the Secretary of the Air Force, and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. He also served as the principal National Guard adviser to Secretary of Defense through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on all National Guard issues. As National Guard Bureau Chief, he served as the army's and air force's official channel of communication with state governors and Adjutants General concerning state National Guards.

Education

1974 Bachelor of Business Administration degree, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 1979 Master of Arts degree in management and economics, Webster College, St. Louis, Missouri. 1984 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama 1990 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama 1995 Master of Science degree in national security strategy, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 1997 National Security Management Course, Syracuse, N.Y. 1998 Capstone, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 2002 Combined Forces Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Alabama 2004 U.S. – Russia Security Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Assignments

Flight information

Rating: Command Pilot Flight hours: More than 4,000 Aircraft flown: C-130, C-131, F-15, F-16, F-106, T-33, T-37 and T-38 Pilot wings from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia

Awards and decorations

Other achievements

1974 Distinguished graduate, Air Force ROTC, Southern Methodist University 1993 I.G. Brown Trophy 2003 Distinguished Alumni Award, Southern Methodist University 2004 Combined Forces Commander, Unified Engagement 04, U.S. Joint Forces Command

Effective dates of promotion