General Richard B. Myers

General Richard B. Myers is the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Nation’s second highest ranking military officer. General Myers is the fifth officer to hold the position.

General Myers was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a 1965 graduate of Kansas State University, and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Auburn University. The General has attended the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania; and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

General Myers entered the Air Force in 1965 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. His career includes operational command and leadership positions in a variety of Air Force and Joint assignments. General Myers is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours in the T-33, C-21, F-4, F-15 and F-16, including 600 combat hours in the F-4.

From August 1998 to February 2000, General Myers was the commander in chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command; commander, Air Force Space Command; and Department of Defense manager, space transportation system contingency support at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, responsible for defending America through space and intercontinental ballistic missile operations. Prior to assuming that position, he was the commander, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, from July 1997 to July 1998. From July 1996 to July 1997 he served as the assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon; and from November 1993 to June 1996 General Myers was the commander of U.S. Forces Japan and 5^th Air Force at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

As the Vice Chairman, General Myers serves as the Chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, Vice Chairman of the Defense Acquisition Board, and as a member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee and the Nuclear Weapons Council. In addition, he acts for the Chairman in all aspects of the Planning, Programming and Budgeting System to include participating in meetings of the Defense Resources Board.

General Myers is married and has three children, two daughters and a son.