Lt. Gen. Mark D. Kelly is the Commander, 12th Air Force, Air Combat Command, and Commander, Air Forces Southern, U.S. Southern Command, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. Twelfth Air Force ensures the readiness of seven active duty wings and one direct reporting unit for contingency operations, and oversees 15 gained Air Reserve Component units totaling more than 360 aircraft and 20,300 Airmen. As the air and space component to U.S. Southern Command, Air Forces Southern conducts security cooperation and provides air, space and cyberspace capabilities throughout the 31 nations of Latin America and the Caribbean.
General Kelly entered the Air Force in 1986, receiving his commission from the Air Force ROTC program at Southwest Texas State University. He earned his pilot wings at Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. General Kelly has commanded a fighter squadron, two fighter wings, an expeditionary wing and most recently Ninth Air Force. General Kelly is a command pilot with more than 5,500 flying hours, including over 800 combat hours in fighter aircraft.
EDUCATION
1986 Bachelor of Arts, Mathematics, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos
1990 Squadron Officer School, in residence
1996 U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
2001 Master of Military Arts and Sciences, Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2007 Master of Science in National Security Studies, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2011 Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education, Leadership Decision Making Seminar
ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 1986 - May 1987, student, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
2. June 1987 - July 1991, T-37 Instructor Pilot, Executive Officer and Standardization and Evaluation Officer, 80th Flying Training Wing, Sheppard AFB, Texas
3. August 1991 - April 1992, Student, F-15E Replacement Training Unit, 461st Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
4. April 1992 - July 1995, F-15E Instructor Pilot and Weapons Officer, 90th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
5. August 1995 - January 1998, F-15E Instructor Pilot and Weapons Officer, 492d Fighter Squadron, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England
6. February 1998 - June 2000, Assistant Director of Operations, 2nd Operational Conversion Unit, Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 Fighter Weapons School, RAAF Williamtown, New South Wales, Australia
7. July 2000 - June 2001, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. June 2001 - September 2002, Weapons and Tactics Flight Commander, 4th Operational Support Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
9. October 2002 - March 2004, Director of Operations, 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
10. April 2004 - May 2006, Commander, 333rd Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC
11. August 2006 - June 2007, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
12. July 2007 - September 2008, Vice Commander, 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho with duties as Vice Commander, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
13. September 2008 - April 2010, Commander, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
14. April 2010 - April 2011, Executive Officer, Deputy Commander, US Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii
15. April 2011 - July 2012, Chief of Staff, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
16. July 2012 - June 2014, Commander, 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson AFB, Alaska
17. July 2014 - July 2015, Commander, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
18. July 2015 - May 2016, Commander, Ninth Air Force, Shaw AFB, S.C.
19. June 2016 - September 2016, Special Assistant to the Commander, Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
20. October 2016 – present, Commander, 12th Air Force, Air Combat Command, and Commander, Air Forces Southern, U.S. Southern Command, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2002 – March 2002, Master Air Attack Planner, USCENTAF Combined Air Operations Center, Prince Sultan Air Base, KSA, as a major
2. May 2008 – August 2008, Vice Commander, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Combined Joint Task Force 101, Bagram AB, Afghanistan, as a colonel
3. April 2010 – April 2011, Executive Officer, Deputy Commander, US Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii, as a colonel
4. Oct 2016 - present, Commander, Air Forces Southern, U.S. Southern Command, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., as a lieutenant general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 5,500
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, F-15E, F/A-18, F-16, F-35A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster
Royal Australian Air Force Chief of Staff Gold Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Action Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Feb. 12, 1986
First Lieutenant Feb. 12, 1988
Captain Feb. 12, 1990
Major Nov. 17, 1997
Lieutenant Colonel May 10, 2002
Colonel Jan. 1, 2007
Brigadier General Sept. 14, 2012
Major General Sept. 2, 2015
Lieutenant General Oct. 3, 2016
(Current as of October 2016)