General Joseph W. Ralston, became the Commander-in-Chief, United States European Command on 2 May 2000 and Supreme Allied Commander Europe on 3 May 2000. General Ralston commands one of the nine Unified combatant commands in the Department of Defense. The United States European command is responsible for the activities of all U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps forces operating within its area of responsibility in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Before this assignment, General Ralston was the vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon, Washington D.C. In this capacity, he was the second highest-ranking military officer in the Armed Forces. The general entered the Air Force in 1965 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. His career includes operational command at squadron, wing, numbered air force and major command, as well as a variety of influential staff and management positions at every level of the Air Force. He has been closely involved with building the US Air Force of the 21st century, holding a variety of positions related to the requirements and acquisition process. He is a command pilot with more than 2,500 flying hours, including 147 combat missions over Laos and North Vietnam.

Education

1965	Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry, Miami University, Ohio
1976	Master of Arts degree in personnel management, Central Michigan University
1976	Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
1984	National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
1989	John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Mass.

Assignments

Jul 65-Aug 66	Student, pilot training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
Aug 66-Apr 67	Student, F-105 combat crew training school, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
Apr 67-Oct 69	F-105 combat crew member, 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron, later 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa
Oct 69-Dec 69	Student, F-105 Wild Weasel pilot training, Nellis AFB, Nevada
Jan 70-Oct 70	F-105 Wild Weasel pilot, 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand
Oct 70-Dec 71	F-105 Wild Weasel instructor pilot, 66th Fighter Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada
Dec 71-Jun 73	Fighter requirements officer and project officer for F-15 and lightweight fighter programs, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Requirements, Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, VA
Jun 73-Jun 75	Assistant operations officer, 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron, then chief, Standardization and Evaluation Division, 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
Jun 75-Jun 76	Student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS.
Jun 76-Jul 79	Tactical fighter requirements officer, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Research and Development, HQ US Air Force, Washington, D.C.
Jul 79-Jul 80	Operations officer, then commander, 68th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Moody AFB, GA
Jul 80-Aug 83	Special assistant, then executive officer to the commander, HQ Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, VA
Aug 83-Jun 84	Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
Jun 84-Feb 86	Special assistant for low observable technology to the deputy chief of staff for research, development and acquisition, HQ US Air Force, Washington, D.C.
Feb 86-Mar 87	Commander 56th Tactical Training Wing, MacDill AFB, FL
Mar 87-Jun 90	Assistant deputy chief of staff for operations, then deputy chief of staff, requirements, HQ Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, VA
Jun 90-Dec 91	Director of tactical programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C.
Dec 91-Jul 92	Director of operational requirements, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, HQ US Air Force, Washington, D.C.
Jul 92-Jul 94	Commander, Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, 11th Air Force, and Joint Task Force Alaska, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
Jul 94-Jun 95	Deputy chief of staff for plans and operations, HQ US Air Force, Washington, D.C.
Jun 95-Feb 96	Commander, HQ Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, VA
Mar 96-Apr 2000	Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.

Flight Information

Rating:	Command pilot
Flight hours:	more than 2,500
Aircraft flown:	F-105D/F/G, F-4C/D/E, F-16A and F-15A/C

Major Awards and Decorations

Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with 19 oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters

Effective dates of promotion

24 July 1965 Second Lieutenant
24 January 1967 First Lieutenant
24 July 1968 Captain
1 December 1973 Major
1 April 1978 Lieutenant Colonel
1 June 1981 Colonel
1 March 1988 Brigadier General
1 August 1990 Major General
13 July 1992 Lieutenant General
1 July 1995 General