Ronald Keys
Encyclopedia
General Ronald Ellis Keys (born February 3, 1945) was Commander, Air Combat Command
, with headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, and Air Component Commander for U.S. Joint Forces Command and U.S. Northern Command.
General Keys was responsible for organizing, training, equipping and maintaining combat-ready forces for rapid deployment and employment while ensuring strategic air defense forces are ready to meet the challenges of peacetime air sovereignty and wartime defense. ACC operates more than 1,100 aircraft, 25 wings, 15 bases and more than 200 operating locations worldwide with 105,000 active-duty and civilian personnel. When mobilized, the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve contribute more than 800 aircraft and 57,000 people to Air Combat Command.
As the Combat Air Forces lead agent, ACC develops strategy, doctrine, concepts, tactics and procedures for air and space power employment. The command provides conventional, nuclear and information warfare forces to all unified commands to ensure air, space and information superiority for warfighters and national decision-makers. ACC can also be called upon to assist national agencies with intelligence, surveillance and crisis response capabilities.
General Keys, a distinguished graduate of Kansas State University's ROTC program, was commissioned in 1967 and is an outstanding graduate of undergraduate pilot training. He has commanded a fighter squadron, the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, an F-15 wing, an A/OA-10 and F-16 wing, the Combat Air Forces Operational Test and Evaluation Wing, a numbered air force, and Allied Air Forces Southern Europe.
Additionally, General Keys was the first commander of the Air Force Doctrine Center, and he has served as an executive assistant to the Air Force Chief of Staff and to an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Prior to his current assignment, he was Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
In 2002, Keys was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Richard B. Myers' choice to succeed Lieutenant General Gregory S. Newbold
as director of operations (J-3) for the Joint Staff. By long-standing tradition, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs had been allowed to select his own top subordinates, but Defense Secretary
Donald H. Rumsfeld adopted a sharply different practice of personally interviewing all candidates for three- and four-star rank. Rumsfeld vetoed Keys' appointment after two interviews, forcing Myers to select Lieutenant General Norton A. Schwartz
instead. The failure of Keys' nomination was subsequently recounted by senior military officers as an illustration of strained civilian-military relations at the Pentagon under Rumsfeld's leadership.
General Keys is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours, including more than 300 hours of combat time in Southeast Asia.
On August 30, 2007, personnel under his command mistakenly and without authorization transported six live nuclear warheads from Minot Air Force Base to Barksdale Air Force Base in the 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident. The event was the first recorded mishandling of nuclear weapons in the United States in more than 30 years. General Keys retired effective November 1, 2007.
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
, with headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, and Air Component Commander for U.S. Joint Forces Command and U.S. Northern Command.
General Keys was responsible for organizing, training, equipping and maintaining combat-ready forces for rapid deployment and employment while ensuring strategic air defense forces are ready to meet the challenges of peacetime air sovereignty and wartime defense. ACC operates more than 1,100 aircraft, 25 wings, 15 bases and more than 200 operating locations worldwide with 105,000 active-duty and civilian personnel. When mobilized, the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve contribute more than 800 aircraft and 57,000 people to Air Combat Command.
As the Combat Air Forces lead agent, ACC develops strategy, doctrine, concepts, tactics and procedures for air and space power employment. The command provides conventional, nuclear and information warfare forces to all unified commands to ensure air, space and information superiority for warfighters and national decision-makers. ACC can also be called upon to assist national agencies with intelligence, surveillance and crisis response capabilities.
General Keys, a distinguished graduate of Kansas State University's ROTC program, was commissioned in 1967 and is an outstanding graduate of undergraduate pilot training. He has commanded a fighter squadron, the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, an F-15 wing, an A/OA-10 and F-16 wing, the Combat Air Forces Operational Test and Evaluation Wing, a numbered air force, and Allied Air Forces Southern Europe.
Additionally, General Keys was the first commander of the Air Force Doctrine Center, and he has served as an executive assistant to the Air Force Chief of Staff and to an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Prior to his current assignment, he was Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
In 2002, Keys was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...
Richard B. Myers' choice to succeed Lieutenant General Gregory S. Newbold
Gregory S. Newbold
Lieutenant General Gregory S. Newbold is a retired United States Marine Corps 3-star general who served as Director of Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 2000 until he retired in October 2002...
as director of operations (J-3) for the Joint Staff. By long-standing tradition, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs had been allowed to select his own top subordinates, but Defense Secretary
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
Donald H. Rumsfeld adopted a sharply different practice of personally interviewing all candidates for three- and four-star rank. Rumsfeld vetoed Keys' appointment after two interviews, forcing Myers to select Lieutenant General Norton A. Schwartz
Norton A. Schwartz
Norton Allan Schwartz is a United States Air Force general who is serving as the 19th Chief of Staff of the Air Force. He previously served as Commander, United States Transportation Command from September 2005 to August 2008...
instead. The failure of Keys' nomination was subsequently recounted by senior military officers as an illustration of strained civilian-military relations at the Pentagon under Rumsfeld's leadership.
General Keys is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours, including more than 300 hours of combat time in Southeast Asia.
On August 30, 2007, personnel under his command mistakenly and without authorization transported six live nuclear warheads from Minot Air Force Base to Barksdale Air Force Base in the 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident. The event was the first recorded mishandling of nuclear weapons in the United States in more than 30 years. General Keys retired effective November 1, 2007.
Education
- 1967 Bachelor's degree in entomology, Kansas State UniversityKansas State UniversityKansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, Manhattan - 1971 Squadron Officer School
- 1974 Air Command and Staff CollegeAir Command and Staff CollegeThe Air Command and Staff College is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate professional military education school. It prepares field grade and equivalent officers of all U.S...
- 1978 Master's degree in business administration, Golden Gate UniversityGolden Gate UniversityGolden Gate University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in the South of Market district, immediately south of the Financial District of downtown San Francisco, California...
, San Francisco, California - 1988 Air War CollegeAir War CollegeThe Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War...
, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
Assignments
- June 1967 - July 1968, student, undergraduate pilot training, Reese AFB, Texas
- July 1968 - March 1969, student, F-4 training, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
- April 1969 - May 1970, F-4 aircraft commander, 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, Da Nang Air BaseDa Nang Air BaseDa Nang Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...
, South Vietnam - May 1970 - May 1971, F-4 aircraft commander, 475th Tactical Fighter Wing, Misawa AB, Japan
- May 1971 - April 1974, F-4 aircraft commander, flight examiner, later, chief, Wing Weapons and Tactics Division, 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, Kadena AB, Japan
- May 1974 - July 1979, F-4 instructor pilot and flight commander, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nevada
- July 1979 - July 1981, air operations officer, Operational Test and Evaluation Division, Directorate of Operations Readiness, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
- July 1981 - December 1982, assistant executive officer to the Air Force Chief of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
- December 1982 - March 1984, Chief, Operations Training Division, 1st Tactical Fighter Wing, Langley AFB, Virginia
- March 1984 - November 1985, Commander, 71st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Virginia
- November 1985 - June 1986, special assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, Virginia
- June 1986 - August 1987, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters Air Force Reserve, Robins AFB, Georgia
- August 1987 - May 1988, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
- June 1988 - July 1990, Commandant, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nevada
- July 1990 - August 1992, Vice Commander, later, Commander, 36th Fighter Wing, Bitburg AB, Germany
- August 1992 - February 1994, senior military assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Security and Counterproliferation, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C.
- February 1994 - September 1995, Commander, 354th Fighter Wing354th Fighter WingThe 354th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force wing that is part of Pacific Air Forces . It is the host wing at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force .-Overview:...
, Eielson AFB, Alaska - October 1995 - February 1997, Commander, 53rd Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida
- February 1997 - September 1998, Commander, Air Force Doctrine Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
- September 1998 - May 2000, Director of Operations, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany
- May 2000 - November 2002, Commander, Allied Air Forces Southern Europe, Stabilization Forces Air Component and Kosovo Forces Air Component, Naples, Italy; and Commander, 16th Air Force and 16th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force, Aviano AB, Italy
- November 2002 - May 2005, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
- May 2005 - October 2007, Commander, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Virginia, Air Component Commander for U.S. Joint Forces Command and for U.S. Northern Command
Flight information
- Rating: Command pilot
- Flight hours: More than 4,000
- Aircraft flown: A-10A-10 Thunderbolt IIThe Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
, F-4F-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
, F-15 EagleF-15 EagleThe McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
and F-16 Fighting FalconF-16 Fighting FalconThe General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
Major awards and decorations
Defense Distinguished Service MedalDefense Distinguished Service MedalThe Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a United States military award which is presented for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to national security or defense of the United States...
with oak leaf clusterOak leaf clusterAn oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...
Distinguished Service MedalDistinguished Service Medal (United States)The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
Defense Superior Service MedalDefense Superior Service MedalThe Defense Superior Service Medal is a senior United States military decoration of the Department of Defense, awarded to members of the United States armed forces who perform "superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility."...
Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
with oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Flying CrossDistinguished Flying Cross (United States)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service MedalDefense Meritorious Service MedalThe Defense Meritorious Service Medal is the third-highest award bestowed upon members of the United States military by the United States Department of Defense...
Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal (United States)The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
with five oak leaf clusters
Air MedalAir MedalThe Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
with 16 oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness MedalCombat Readiness MedalThe Combat Readiness Medal is an award of the United States Air Force which was first created in 1964. The original Combat Readiness Medal was an award senior to the Air Force Commendation Medal and was awarded for superior and meritorious duty to the United States Air Force...
with three oak leaf clusters
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Effective dates of promotion
- Second lieutenant June 4, 1967
- First lieutenant December 4, 1968
- Captain June 4, 1970
- MajorMajor (United States)In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
March 1, 1979 - Lieutenant colonelLieutenant Colonel (United States)In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
November 1, 1981 - ColonelColonel (United States)In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
November 1, 1986 - Brigadier generalBrigadier general (United States)A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
July 15, 1994 - Major generalMajor general (United States)In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
July 1, 1997 - Lieutenant generalLieutenant General (United States)In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
July 1, 2000 - GeneralGeneral (United States)In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
May 27, 2005