Maj. Gen. Ricky N. Rupp is dual-hatted as Commander of the Air Force District of Washington and the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing, headquartered at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. AFDW is the Air Force component to the Joint Forces Headquarters-National Capital Region and is responsible for organizing, training and equipping combat forces for aerospace expeditionary forces, homeland operations, civil support, national special security events and ceremonial events. AFDW also provides major command-level support for 60,000 military and civilian personnel assigned worldwide. As commander, Maj. Gen. Rupp is the Uniform Code of Military Justice authority for 40,000 Airmen.
His experience spans a variety of flying and staff assignments at the squadron, wing, major command, sub-unified command and Department of Defense levels. General Rupp was commissioned in May 1989. He has served as a C-130 Hercules aircraft commander, T-38 Talon instructor pilot, C-17 Globemaster III evaluator pilot, wing executive officer, squadron commander, vice wing commander, wing commander and various staff assignments in the major command, sub-unified command and Department of Defense. He has operational flying experience during operations Desert Shield, Provide Promise, Allied Force, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Prior to his current assignment, he served as the senior defense official and defense attaché, U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, Israel. Maj. Gen. Rupp and his wife, Charlotte, are the 2013 winners of the Air Force Jerome F. O’Malley award.
EDUCATION
1988 Bachelor of Business Arts in Accounting, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos
1996 Squadron Officers School, distinguished graduate, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1996 Master of Applied Science in Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Columbus AFB, Mississippi campus
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Master of Applied Science in Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 Air War College, by correspondence
2004 Master of Applied Science in Airpower Art and Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Air Force Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C.
2011 Joint Professional Military Education II, Norfolk Naval Air Station, Va.
2015 CAPSTONE Course for General Officers, Joint Military Education III, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
2015 Joint Military Attaché School, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Md.
2018 Leadership Decision Making Course, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2018 Advanced Senior Leader Development, Center for Creative Leadership, Warrenton, Va.
2019 Executive Strategy, Olin School of Business, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1989 – May 1990, student, undergraduate pilot training, Reese AFB, Texas
2. June 1990 – October 1990, student, C-130 Combat Crew Training, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
3. October 1990 – November 1993, C-130 Aircraft Commander, 37th Tactical Airlift Squadron, Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany
4. November 1993 – December 1996, assistant flight commander, 50th Flying Training Squadron, Columbus AFB, Miss.
5. December 1996 – June 2000, Wing plans chief and later Wing executive officer, 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston AFB, S.C.
6. June 2000 – July 2002, chief, C-17 Requirements, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
7. August 2002 – June 2003, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. July 2003 – June 2004, student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. August 2004 – May 2005, operations officer, 17th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
10. June 2005 – May 2007, commander, 14th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
11. June 2007 – July 2009, acting executive secretary and military assistant to the executive secretary Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. August 2009 – May 2010, Air Force Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC
13. June 2010 – June 2011, vice commander, 18th Wing, Kadena AB, Japan
14. June 2011 – June 2013, commander, 22d Air Refueling Wing, McConnell AFB, Kan.
15. June 2013 – March 2015, special assistant to the commander, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea, Yongsan, Republic of Korea.
16. September 2015 – June 2017, senior Defense official and defense attaché U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv Israel
17. June 2017 – July 2019, Director of Operations, Headquarters U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
18. July 2019 – present, commander, Air Force District Washington, JB Andrews, Md.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2007 – July 2009, acting executive secretary and military assistant to the executive secretary Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel
2. June 2013 – March 2015, special assistant to the commander, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea, Yongsan, Republic of Korea, as a colonel
3. September 2015 – June 2017, senior Defense official and Defense Attaché U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv Israel as brigadier general
4. June 2017 – present, director of Operations, USTRANSCOM, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. as major general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,800
Aircraft flown: C-130, E-3, T-1, T-37, T-38, C-17, KC-135
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Iraq Campaign Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant, May 4, 1989
First Lieutenant, May 4, 1991
Captain, May 4, 1993
Major, July 1, 2000
Lieutenant Colonel, April 1, 2004
Colonel, Aug. 1, 2009
Brigadier General, Nov. 7, 2014
Major General, June 2, 2018
(Current as of March 2019)