Michael E. Ryan | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait asChief of Staff of the Air Force | |
| Born | (1941-12-24)December 24, 1941 (age 83) San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1965–2001 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force Allied Air Forces Central Europe U.S. Air Forces in Europe 16th Air Force Allied Air Forces Southern Europe 432nd Tactical Fighter Wing 61st Tactical Fighter Squadron |
| Battles / wars | Vietnam War United States invasion of Panama Operation Deliberate Force |
| Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal (3) Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (2) Army Distinguished Service Medal Navy Distinguished Service Medal Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) Distinguished Flying Cross Full list |
| Relations | GeneralJohn Dale Ryan (father) |
Michael Edward Ryan[1] (born December 24, 1941) is a retiredUnited States Air Force (USAF)general and was the 16thChief of Staff of the United States Air Force from October 1997 to September 2001. He served as the senior uniformed USAF officer responsible for the organization, training and equipage of 700,000 active-duty,Guard,Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of theJoint Chiefs of Staff, he and the other service chiefs functioned as military advisers to theSecretary of Defense,National Security Council and thePresident.
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Born in San Antonio, Texas in 1941,[2] Ryan entered the U.S. Air Force after graduating from theUnited States Air Force Academy in 1965;[1] he was a graduate of OmahaCreighton Prep High School. Ryan's father, GeneralJohn Dale Ryan, was the 7thChief of Staff of the United States Air Force, from 1969 to 1973.[2]
He flew combat missions inSoutheast Asia, including 100 missions overNorth Vietnam in theF-4 Phantom II, as part of the13th Tactical Fighter Squadron based atUdorn Royal Thai Air Force Base inThailand from October 1967 to August 1968. He went throughSquadron Officer School in 1969 and the Fighter Weapons Instructor Course at theUSAF Fighter Weapons School during 1970. From 1971 to 1973, Ryan served as an exchange officer with theRoyal Australian Air Force flying theMirage III. He attendedAir Command and Staff College and earned anMBA fromAuburn University in 1976. Ryan went to theNational War College in 1984. During 1988, Ryan partook in the National Security Program atJohn F. Kennedy School of Government atHarvard University.[2]
Over his career, Ryan held command at thesquadron,wing,numbered air force andmajor command levels. He also served in staff assignments at the major command level, and in thePentagon on both theAir Staff and theJoint Staff.[2]
His first assignment as a lieutenant general in 1993 was as theAssistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the duties of which encompassed being the senior military liaison over at theU.S. Department of State and travelling overseas with theSecretary of State.[3]
As Commander ofSixteenth Air Force atAviano Air Base andAllied Air Forces Southern Europe inNaples, from 1994 to 1996, Lieutenant General Ryan directed theNATO air combat operations inBosnia-Herzegovina, including the bombing missions ofOperation Deliberate Force, which created the context for the U.S. to broker theDayton Peace Accords between the parties in conflict. Ryan personally approved every NATO target during the two-week Operation Deliberate Force campaign.[4] During his tenure, USAF captainScott O'Grady was shot down in anF-16 Fighting Falcon in early June 1995 over Bosnia by asurface-to-air missile launched by theArmy of Republika Srpska. O'Grady was rescued a week later.
Before assuming the Chief of Staff position, General Ryan was from April 1996 to October 1997 dual-hatted as Commander ofU.S. Air Forces in Europe and Commander ofAllied Air Forces Central Europe, with headquarters atRamstein Air Base in Germany.PresidentBill Clinton announced the nomination of General Ryan as Chief of Staff of the Air Force on July 31, 1997.[5]
DuringOperation Allied Force in April 1999, General Ryan made taskings to improve the capability of thePredator drone to collect time-sensitive intelligence for targeting, the results of which would later prove useful inOperation Enduring Freedom.[6] General Ryan formally retired from the U.S. Air Force on October 1, 2001: although the first day on the job of his successor, GeneralJohn P. Jumper, was onSeptember 11, 2001.[7]
| Other accoutrements | |
 | CommandAir Force Pilot Badge |
 | Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge |
| Insignia | Rank | Date |
|---|---|---|
 | General | Apr. 4, 1996 |
 | Lieutenant general | May 10, 1993 |
 | Major general | Jan. 1, 1991 |
 | Brigadier general | May 1, 1988 |
 | Colonel | July 1, 1981 |
 | Lieutenant colonel | Apr. 1, 1979 |
 | Major | June 1, 1976 |
 | Captain | June 13, 1968 |
 | First lieutenant | Dec. 9, 1966 |
 | Second lieutenant | June 9, 1965 |
General Michael E. Ryan appeared as himself in theStargate SG-1 4th season episode 19 "Prodigy", a cable television seriesfilmed in Canada receiving technical assistance from the Air Force Entertainment Liaison Office.[9] He agreed to guest-star onStargate SG-1 because as he put it, "The ideas that come out of science fiction are often more science than fiction."[10] It also appealed to Ryan's sense of wonder, "The exploration of our own solar system is this century's challenge. It would be a big surprise to find a Stargate out there."[10] Lead actorRichard Dean Anderson later recalled asking General Ryan off camera if he had subordinates as irreverent as Anderson's characterJack O'Neill. According to Anderson the reply was, "Son, yes. We've got colonels like you and worse."[11]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander of United States Air Forces Europe 1996–1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force 1997–2001 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
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