Paul W. Tibbets IV | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Born | (1966-11-21)21 November 1966 (age 59) Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Service years | 1989–2018 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands | 509th Bomb Wing Air Force Inspection Agency 393d Bomb Squadron |
| Conflicts | Operation Allied Force War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Defense Superior Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit (4) Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Medal |
| Relations | Paul Tibbets (grandfather) |
Paul Warfield Tibbets IV (born 21 November 1966) is a formerUnited States Air Forcebrigadier general. He is the grandson ofPaul W. Tibbets Jr., the pilot of the aircraft that dropped anatomic bomb onHiroshima in 1945. He was the Deputy Director for Nuclear Operations in the Global Operations Directorate of theUnited States Strategic Command, where he was responsible for the nuclear mission of the nation'sballistic missile submarines,intercontinental ballistic missiles, andstrategic bombers. During his career he participated inOperation Allied Force in the Balkans andOperation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and was one of the few pilots qualified to fly all three of the USAF's strategic bombers: theRockwell B-1 Lancer,Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit and theBoeing B-52 Stratofortress. In June 2015, he assumed command of the509th Bomb Wing. In July 2017, he became Deputy Commander,Air Force Global Strike Command,Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
Paul Warfield Tibbets IV is the grandson of Brigadier GeneralPaul W. Tibbets Jr., the pilot of the aircraft which dropped anatomic bomb on the Japanese city ofHiroshima in 1945, the Enola Gay. He grew up inMontgomery, Alabama,[1] and was inspired to join theUnited States Air Force (USAF) not by his famous grandfather but by his father, Paul W. Tibbets III, a pharmacist and hospital administrator who served in theUnited States Army Reserve, retiring as a colonel. "When I was in 9th grade," he recalled "I became involved in youth service projects. It was a passion of mine to serve. My father said 'You seem to be very interested in serving – what do you want to do with your life?' I told him I was interested in serving, and he told me to look into something like the ROTC or service academies."[2]
Tibbets entered theUnited States Air Force Academy inColorado Springs, Colorado, from which he graduated in 1989 with aBachelor of Science degree, majoring inHuman Factors Engineering. He was commissioned as asecond lieutenant, and was sent toWilliams Air Force Base, Arizona, for undergraduate pilot training. He was then selected for training on theB-1 bomber atDyess Air Force Base, Texas, and was posted to a B-1 squadron, the 37th Bomb Squadron atEllsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.[3] "There was no favoritism when I was chosen for bombers," Tibbets recalled, "The Air Force can't afford to put someone in a job for which they're not qualified. I was told that it wasn't because of who I was, but because it was the best fit."[2]
From August to November 1995, Tibbets was trained as aT-38 pilot instructor atRandolph Air Force Base, Texas, and then served as a T-38 instructor with the394th Combat Training Squadron atWhiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. He attended the Squadron Officer School atMaxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, in 1996, and then qualified on theB-2 Spirit at Whiteman in 1997.[3] In 1999, he flew combat missions overYugoslavia. For his service inOperation Allied Force, Tibbets was awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross. His citation read:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Paul W. Tibbets IV, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as a B-2 Mission Commander, at or near Yugoslavia, on 8 April 1999. On that date, Captain Tibbets made aviation history by leading the world's first B-2 combat sortie without package support during Operation Allied Force. He displayed exceptional courage, skill, and endurance while flying a 30-hour combat mission, penetrating an advanced integrated air defense system that included an impressive array of ground threats, with no suppression/destruction of enemy air defense or offensive counter-air support available. Using his expert knowledge, Captain Tibbets resolved a system anomaly, which would have inhibited release, within minutes of striking his targets. Employing the new Joint Direct Attack Munition, Captain Tibbets successfully targeted 16 separate impact points and destroyed critical military production facilities including the Smederevo Petroleum Product Storage near Belgrade, a radio relay facility, and an arms production plant in Kragujevac. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Tibbets reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.[4]
Tibbets received aMaster of Science degree in Human Factors Engineering from theUniversity of Idaho in 2000, and was a non-resident student at theAir Command and Staff College atMaxwell Air Force Base in Alabama in 2001. He attended theUnited States College of Naval Command and Staff atNewport, Rhode Island, from April 2002 to June 2003, from which he obtained aMaster of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. He returned to Whiteman in July 2003, where he served as a T-38 and B-2 flight examiner, director of operations of the325th Bomb Squadron and then the13th Bomb Squadron. He became director of staff of the509th Bomb Wing there in June 2005, and in April 2006 assumed command of the393d Bomb Squadron,[3] a unit that had once formed part of the509th Composite Group which his grandfather had commanded in the Pacific Theater of Operations duringWorld War II.[2]
From October 2007 to August 2009, Tibbets was stationed atNATO headquarters inBrussels. He then attended theJoint Forces Staff College inNorfolk, Virginia in 2009, and theNATO Defense College inRome in 2010. He was vice Commander of the379th Air Expeditionary Wing in southwest Asia from June 2010 to July 2011, flying missions in support ofOperation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He was in charge of the Air Force Inspection Agency atKirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, from July 2011 to July 2013. He then became Deputy Director of Operations of theAir Force Global Strike Command atBarksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.[3] There, he qualified on theBoeing B-52 Stratofortress, making him one of the few pilots qualified to fly all three of the USAF's strategic bombers: the B-1, B-2 and B-52.[5] In February 2014, he became Deputy Director for Nuclear Operations at theUnited States Strategic Command, atOffutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, where he was responsible for the nuclear mission of the nation'sballistic missile submarines,intercontinental ballistic missiles, andstrategic bombers.[3] On 5 June 2015, he assumed command of the509th Bomb Wing.[6] In July 2017, he became Deputy Commander,Air Force Global Strike Command,Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.[3]
Tibbets was denied promotion to major general, following an investigation into allegations of his misconduct during his command of the 509th Bomb Wing that included making inappropriate comments regarding women, failure to report suicide attempts under his watch, and inappropriate use of a military vehicle. Tibbets commenced terminal leave on 19 October 2018,[7][8][9] and he retired on 1 December 2018.[3]
 | US Air Force Command Pilot Badge |
 | Basic Parachutist Badge |
Source:[3]
| Insignia | Rank | Dates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Second Lieutenant | 31 May 1989 | [3] |
 | First Lieutenant | 31 May 1991 | [3] |
 | Captain | 31 May 1993 | [3] |
 | Major | 1 August 2000 | [3] |
 | Lieutenant Colonel | 1 April 2004 | [3] |
 | Colonel | 1 September 2008 | [3] |
 | Brigadier General | 12 February 2014 | [10] |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Deputy Director for Nuclear Operations of theUnited States Strategic Command 2014–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander of the509th Bomb Wing 2015–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Commander of theAir Force Global Strike Command 2017–2018 | Succeeded by |
