Richard Myers | |
|---|---|
 General Richard Myers in 2002 | |
| Born | (1942-03-01)1 March 1942 (age 83) Kansas City, Missouri, United States |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1965–2005 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff North American Aerospace Defense Command United States Space Command Air Force Space Command Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force |
| Battles / wars | Vietnam War Iraq War |
| Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal (4) Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (2) Army Distinguished Service Medal Navy Distinguished Service Medal Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross (2) Air Medal (19) Presidential Medal of Freedom |
| Other work | Board of directors,Northrop Grumman 14th president,Kansas State University |
Richard Bowman Myers (born 1 March 1942) is a retiredUnited States Air Forcegeneral who served as the 15thchairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As chairman, Myers was the highest ranking uniformed officer of the United States military forces. He also served as the 14th president ofKansas State University from 2016 to 2022.
Myers became the chairman of the Joint Chiefs on 1 October 2001. In this capacity, he served as the principal military advisor to thepresident, thesecretary of defense, and theNational Security Council during the earliest stages of theWar on Terror, including planning and execution of the2003 invasion of Iraq. On 30 September 2005, he retired and was succeeded by GeneralPeter Pace. His Air Force career included operational command and leadership positions in a variety of Air Force and Joint assignments.
Myers began serving as the interim president of Kansas State University in late April 2016,[1] and was announced as the permanent president on 15 November 2016.[2] On 24 May 2021, Myers announced that we would be retiring from his duties as President of Kansas State University, and that his last day would be 11 February 2022.[3] He was succeeded by PresidentRichard Linton, the former dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University on 14 February 2022.[4]
Myers was born inKansas City, Missouri. His father owned a hardware store and his mother was a homemaker. He graduated fromShawnee Mission North High School in 1960. He graduated from Kansas State University (KSU) with aBachelor of Science inmechanical engineering in 1965 where he was a member ofSigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.[5] He was commissioned by Detachment 270 of theAir Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at KSU.[6] He graduated fromAuburn University at Montgomery with aMaster of Business Administration in 1977.[5] Myers has attended theAir Command and Staff College atMaxwell Air Force Base,Alabama; theU.S. Army War College atCarlisle Barracks,Pennsylvania; and the Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security atHarvard University'sJohn F. Kennedy School of Government.
Myers entered theUnited States Air Force in 1965 through theReserve Officer Training Corps program. He received pilot training from 1965 to 1966 atVance Air Force Base,Oklahoma. Myers is a command pilot with more than 4,100 flying hours in theT-33 Shooting Star,C-37,C-21,F-4 Phantom II,F-15 Eagle andF-16 Fighting Falcon, including 600 combat hours in the F-4.[5] During his tenure as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Myers often flew official aircraft such as the GulfstreamC-37A andC-37B by himself during official trips.[7] According to his 2009 autobiography (Eyes on The Horizon: Serving on the Front Lines of National Security), "one of the pleasures he had as both Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was to be able to sometimes fly on his required travels and stay pilot-qualified."[7]
From November 1993 to June 1996, Myers was Commander ofUnited States Forces Japan andFifth Air Force atYokota Air Base, Japan and From July 1996 to July 1997 Myers served as assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff atthe Pentagon. Myers received his fourth-star in 1997 when he was appointed as commander in chief ofPacific Air Forces.[5] He commanded the Pacific Air Forces atHickam Air Force Base,Hawaii, from July 1997 to July 1998. From August 1998 to February 2000, Myers was commander in chief of theNorth American Aerospace Defense Command andUnited States Space Command; Commander of theAir Force Space Command; and Department of Defense manager of the space transportation system contingency support atPeterson Air Force Base,Colorado. As commander, Myers was responsible for defending America through space and intercontinental ballistic missile operations.
Following the appointment of GeneralJoseph Ralston asSupreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), Myers was appointed by PresidentBill Clinton to succeed Ralston asVice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in February 2000. He assumed his duties on 29 February 2000.[7] As vice chairman, Myers served as the chairman of theJoint Requirements Oversight Council, vice chairman of the Defense Acquisition Board, and as a member of theNational Security Council Deputies Committee and the Nuclear Weapons Council. In addition, he acted for the chairman in all aspects of the Planning, Programming and Budgeting System including participation in the Defense Resources Board.
In August 2001, a year after assuming the role of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, PresidentGeorge W. Bush appointed Myers to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Myers was the first vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be appointed chairman, since the role was established in 1987 after the enactment ofGoldwater–Nichols Act of 1986.[7]
On themorning of 11 September 2001 Myers was onCapitol Hill to meet Georgia SenatorMax Cleland for his scheduled courtesy calls before his Senate confirmation hearings to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[7] While waiting for the senator, Myers watched a television news network in the outer office of Senator Cleland that a plane had just hit theNorth Tower of the World Trade Center.[7] A few minutes later Myers was informed by his military aide CaptainChris Donahue about the hijacked plane that just hit the second tower of theWorld Trade Center. Later on GeneralRalph Eberhart, theCommander-in-Chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, managed to contact Myers and inform him about the recent hijacking situation. Myers then immediately left Capitol Hill to proceed back toThe Pentagon, where he was informed that this time another commercial airplane had just hit the western side of The Pentagon. During the crisis, Myers became the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, since GeneralHugh Shelton was en route to Europe for aNATO Summit.[7] Upon arriving at The Pentagon and after a rendezvous with Secretary of DefenseDonald Rumsfeld, Myers then conferred with Secretary Rumsfeld about the current situation and the next steps to be taken. Myers took command as the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for half of the day during the attacks on 11 September, until General Shelton arrived back in Washington after he aborted his flight to Europe at 5:40 p.m. local time.[7]
Myers was sworn in as the 15thchairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on 1 October 2001. He served as the principal military advisor to thepresident, theSecretary of Defense, and theNational Security Council during the earliest stages of theWar on Terror, including planning of theWar in Afghanistan and planning and execution of the2003 invasion of Iraq.[8][9][7][10] A few days later, on 7 October 2001,Operation Enduring Freedom was initiated. Myers and GeneralTommy Franks, the commander ofUnited States Central Command (CENTCOM), coordinated the early stage of Operation Enduring Freedom. Within three months, several radical terrorist groups had been toppled.[10]
Myers also supported the involvement of NATO and allied coalition forces during the War on Terror. As a result of Operation Enduring Freedom, the political regime in Afghanistan was toppled and a new constitution was ratified in January 2004, which provided fordirect presidential elections on 9 October 2004.[10]
During his tenure as chairman, Myers also oversaw the early stage of the invasion of Iraq. Together with CENTCOM commander General Tommy Franks, Myers coordinated the plan for the Iraqi invasion and the reconstruction of the country, and also established a combined joint task force in order to focus on post-conflict issues in Iraq.[7]Operation Iraqi Freedom was initiated on 20 March 2003, which was preceded by an airstrike onSaddam Hussein's Palace and followed by theFall of Baghdad in April 2003. Operation Iraqi Freedom eventually led to the downfall of Saddam Hussein's 24-year regime and thecaptured of Hussein on 13 December 2003. Following Operation Iraqi Freedom, theCoalition Provisional Authority was established in Iraq and was succeeded by theIraqi Interim Government, which presided overparliamentary elections in 2005.[8][9]
In order to gain support on both the War on Terror and the invasion of Iraq, Myers often travelled abroad in order to strengthen military relations with other allied nations, such asMongolia. He was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to visit Mongolia. Myers met withMongolian PresidentNatsagiin Bagabandi atUlaanbaatar on 15 January 2004. As a result, the United States gained the support of the Mongolian government and Mongolia also deployed troops in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.[11][7]
In February 2004Haitian PresidentJean-Bertrand Aristidewas overthrown in a coup d'état, leading to conflict within the country. The United States deployed Marines to Haiti as part of the multinationalOperation Secure Tomorrow from February to July 2004. On March 13, Myers visited the United States troops deployed to Haiti.[12][13][14]
Together with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Myers conducted weekly press briefings at The Pentagon on the War on Terror.[7]
One of Myers' achievements as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was his pursuit of the transformation of the United States military. Myers orchestrated substantive changes to the nation's Unified Combatant Command's plan following the September 11 attacks, leading to the establishment ofUnited States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) as the new Unified Combatant Command to consolidate and coordinate domestic defense.[7][10] It was also to support local, state and federal authorities in order to assist the newly created Department of Homeland Security, especially in responding to national emergencies. Following the establishment of USNORTHCOM, theNorth American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was also merged into USNORTHCOM and theUnited States Space Command was merged in to theUnited States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) in order to consolidate and strengthen the nation's nuclear deterrent and space missions.[10] Like his predecessors, Myers also continued to promote a joint culture among the nation's military services in order to avoidinterservice rivalry.
In order to emphasize the War on Terror, Myers created what was known as "National Military Strategic Plan for the War on Terrorism 2002-2005."[10] The Strategic Plan provided a new guidance to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, regional commanders and Unified Combatant Command commanders for a multi-pronged strategy that aimed at targeting global terrorist networks.[10]
Myers' tenure as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ended in September 2005 and he was succeeded by GeneralPeter Pace, who had served as Myers' Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Staff.[10] Myers retired from active duty on 30 September 2005, after more than forty years of active service. His retirement ceremony was held atFort Myer, Virginia, with President George W. Bush delivering the retirement remarks.[7]
 | Command Pilot Badge |
  | Master Space and Missile Badge |
 | Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge |
Since 1999, General Myers is an Air Force Gray Eagle. He also received the Badge of the Commander of the Military Forces (Paraguay).
In 2001, General Myers received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member and Supreme Allied Commander EuropeGeneral Joseph W. Ralston, USAF.[15]
| Insignia | Rank | Date |
|---|---|---|
 | Second Lieutenant | 3 February 1965[5] |
 | First Lieutenant | 5 December 1966[5] |
 | Captain | 13 June 1968[5] |
 | Major | 1 September 1976[5] |
 | Lieutenant colonel | 1 December 1979[5] |
 | Colonel | 1 September 1984[5] |
 | Brigadier general | 1 April 1990[5] |
 | Major general | 1 September 1992[5] |
 | Lieutenant General | 12 November 1993[5] |
 | General | 1 September 1997[5] |
On 27 September 2005, only three days before leaving his post as chairman, Myers said of theIraq War that, "the outcome and consequences of defeat are greater thanWorld War II." His rise to and stint as chairman are chronicled inWashington Post reporterBob Woodward's book,State of Denial, as well as his own bookEyes on The Horizon: Serving on the Front Lines of National Security.
On 9 November 2005, Myers received thePresidential Medal of Freedom. His citation reads:
For four decades, General Richard Myers has served our Nation with honor and distinction. He flew some 600 combat hours in the Vietnam War. He later served as Commander in Chief of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Myers played a central role in our Nation's defense while devoting himself to the well-being of the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. The United States honors General Richard Myers for his dedication to duty and country and for his contributions to the freedom and security of our Nation.[16]
In 2006, Myers accepted a part-time appointment as a foundation professor of military history at Kansas State University. That same year, he was also elected to the board of directors ofNorthrop Grumman Corporation, the world's third largest defense contractor. On 13 September 2006, he also joined the board of directors ofUnited Technologies Corporation. He also serves on the boards ofAon Corporation,John Deere, theUnited Service Organizations and holds the Colin L. Powell Chair for National Security, Leadership, Character and Ethics at theNational Defense University. He also has advised the Defense Health Board and served on the Army War College Board of Visitors.[17]
On 26 July 2011, Myers was inducted into theAir Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Distinguished Alumni in a ceremony atMaxwell AFB, Alabama, officiated by Lieutenant General Allen G. Peck, Commander,Air University.[6]
On 14 April 2016, Myers was selected as the interim president of Kansas State University, which he began on 20 April.[18] On 15 November 2016, the Board of Regents removed his interim title and announced Myers would become the university's 14th president.[19]
Myers currently serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Medisend College of Biomedical Engineering Technology and the General Richard B. Myers Veterans Program.Medisend College of Biomedical Engineering Technology.
On May 24, 2021, Myers announced he would retire from his role as president of Kansas State University as of 11 February 2022.[20] He released the following statement as part of his announced retirement, "Mary Jo and I truly loved our time at K-State and working with students, faculty and staff. Being president of my alma mater was one of the most fulfilling jobs I've ever had. It was an honor to help move K-State forward on many fronts. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with the many talented and dedicated people who comprise the K-State family."
Myers and his wife, the former Mary Jo Rupp, have three children: two daughters and a son. His son´s name is Richard Bowman Myers.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material fromGeneral Richard Myers Biography.United States Air Force.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander of theNorth American Aerospace Defense Command 1998–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 2000–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 2001–2005 | |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | President ofKansas State University 2016–present | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas formerchairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1997–2001) | Order of precedence of the United States as former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2001–2005) | Succeeded byas formerchairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2005–2007) |
Vice chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States | |||
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