Major General William H. Etter Assistant to the Chairman, JCS, for National Guard Matters Download Hi-Res Image

Maj. Gen. William H. Etter is the Assistant to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff for National Guard Matters, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for providing the Chairman with timely insights on the National Guard which are enabled by collaboration with the Office of Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, unified combatant commands, service staffs and Reserve components. He also serves as the Chairman's liaison with the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Reserve Affairs), the Reserve component chiefs and the various Reserve forces policy boards. In addition, General Etter provides subject-matter expertise to the Joint Staff on force integration, operational employment and strategic engagement of the Reserve components.

General Etter earned his commission though the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Connecticut. After initial pilot training, he flew the F-16 at Hahn Air Base, Germany and MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. In 1987, he joined the Vermont Air National Guard, where he served as flight commander, operations officer, flying squadron commander and operations group commander, overseeing the unit's involvement in operations Southern Watch and Noble Eagle. General Etter subsequently served as Director of Operations and Assistant Adjutant General - Air for the Vermont Air National Guard before transferring to the Connecticut Air National Guard.

Upon moving to the National Guard Bureau, General Etter became the Director of Strategic Plans and Policy (J5) and a year later was additionally assigned as acting Director, Joint Staff. In 2008, he was appointed Director, Domestic Operations (J3), adding the role of Director, Domestic Operations/Force Development (J3/7) in April 2010. In December 2010, General Etter became the Deputy Director of the Air National Guard. In this role he assisted the Director, Air National Guard in formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, plans and programs affecting more than 106,700 Guard members in more than 88 flying wings and 200 geographically separated units throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. In support of the Director, he also led the development and integration of the Air National Guard's long range plans and approximately $70 billion Future Years Defense Program. The general is a command pilot with more than 3,500 hours in a variety of military aircraft.

EDUCATION
1979 University of Connecticut, Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Storrs, Connecticut
1984 Troy State University, Master of Science, Management, Troy, Ala.
1996 Air War College, by correspondence
2005 John F. Kennedy School, Harvard University, Senior Executives in International Security, Cambridge, Mass.
2006 Dual Status Title 10/32 Joint Task Force Commanders Course, Norfolk, Va.
2007 The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Leading Organizational Change, Philadelphia
2009 Combined Force Air Component Commander (CFACC) Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 Capstone General and Flag Officer Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2011 George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Senior Executive Seminar, Garmisch, Germany

ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 1980 - February 1981, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
2. February 1981 - June 1981, Student, Fighter Lead-in Training, Holloman AFB, N.M.
3. June 1981- February 1982, Student, F-16 Initial Replacement Training Unit, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
4. February 1982 - July 1985, Standardization Evaluation Examiner, F-16, 496th Fighter Squadron, Hahn Air Base, Germany
5. July 1985 - September 1985, Student, Tactical Air Command Instructor Pilot Course, F-16, MacDill AFB, Fla.
6. September 1985 - July 1987, Instructor Pilot, Standardization Evaluation Flight Examiner, F-16, 61st Tactical Fighter Squadron, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
7. July 1987 - August 1993, Instructor Pilot, Standardization Evaluation Flight Examiner and Operations Officer, F-16, 134th Fighter Squadron, Vermont Air National Guard, Burlington, Vt.
8. August 1993 - April 1997, Commander, 134th Fighter Squadron, Vermont Air National Guard, Burlington, Vt.
9. April 1997 - November 2001, Commander, 158th Operations Group, Burlington, Vt.
10. November 2001- August 2003, Director of Operations, Headquarters Vermont Air National Guard, Colchester, Vt.
11. August 2003 - February 2007, Assistant Adjutant General for Air, Joint Force Headquarters Vermont National Guard, Colchester, Vt. (August 2004 - January 2007, Commander, Vermont Air National Guard, Colchester, Vermont; also served September 2006, Maple Tap Commander, Iraq)
12. February 2007 - June 2008, Director for Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va.; also served January 2008 - June 2008, Acting Director, Joint Staff, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va.
13. July 2008 - March 2010, Director, Domestic Operations (J3), National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va.
14. April 2010 - November 2010, Director for Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia; also served April 2010 - September 2010, Acting Director, Domestic Operations/Force Development (J3/7), Arlington, Va.
15. December 2010 - June 2012, Deputy Director, Air National Guard, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
16. June 2012 - present, Assistant to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff for National Guard Matters, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 2007 - June 2008, Director for Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va.; also served January 2008 - June 2008, Acting Director, Joint Staff, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va., as a major general
2. July 2008 - March 2010, Director, Domestic Operations (J3), National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va., as a major general
3. April 2010 - October 2010, Director for Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va.; (April 2010 - September 2010, Acting Director, Domestic Operations/Force Development (J3/7), Arlington, Va. as a major general)
4. June 2012 - present, Assistant to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff for National Guard Matters, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a major general

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight Hours: More than 3,500
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, F-16A/B/C/D
Pilot wings from: Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with "valor" device and three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Combat Readiness Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air Force Overseas Ribbon (Long)
Air Force Longevity Service Award with eight oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Ten-Year Device and 'M' device
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1979 Summa Cum Laude, University of Connecticut
1979 Distinguished Graduate, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, University of Connecticut
1981 Commander's Trophy and Flying Training Award, Undergraduate Pilot's Training, Air Training Command

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 20, 1979
First Lieutenant May 20, 1981
Captain Nov. 20, 1983
Major Sept. 12, 1989
Lieutenant Colonel Oct. 3, 1993
Colonel March 30, 2000
Brigadier General Jan. 28, 2004
Major General Feb. 1, 2007

(Current as of July 2012)