Maj. Gen. Randal K. Efferson serves as the Acting Director, Air National Guard, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He is responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, plans and programs affecting 108,400 Air National Guard Airmen and civilians across 90 wings and 180 installations in 159 communities throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

Maj. Gen. Efferson received his commission in 1990 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee. He is a command pilot with nine combat deployments, having served in the regular Air Force and with the Air National Guard in Texas, Florida and Alabama. Career highlights include assignments as commander of the 187th Fighter Wing; F-35 initial cadre for the Air National Guard; executive officer to the Director of the Air National Guard; J3 Director of Operations for U.S. Central Command Forward Element, Jordan; Assistant Adjutant General and Air Component Commander for the Alabama Air National Guard; Air National Guard Advisor to the Commander, 9th Air Force (Air Forces Central); and, most recently, Acting Commander, Air National Guard Readiness Center, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

Prior to his current position, he was the Special Assistant to the Director of the Air National Guard and concurrently served as Deputy, Combined Forces Air Component Commander for 1st Air Force (U.S. Air Forces Northern and U.S. Air Forces Space), Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.

EDUCATION

• 1989 U.S. Army Airborne School, Fort Benning, Ga.
• 1990 Bachelor of Science, Engineering, Science and Mechanics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• 1995 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
• 1996 U.S. Air Force Fighter Electronic Combat Course, Fla.
• 1997 U.S. Navy Strike Leader Attack Training School, Nev.
• 1998 U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course, Nev.
• 2001 Master of Science, Human Resources Management, Troy State University, Shaw AFB Campus, S.C.
• 2008 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
• 2012 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
• 2015 Advanced Joint Professional Military Education, Norfolk, Va.
• 2018 National Security Studies Management Course, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
• 2018 Senior Leader Orientation Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md., and Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
• 2019 Combined Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
• 2020 Regional Seminar – Eurasia, Old Town Alexandria, Va.

ASSIGNMENTS

1. January 1991 – February 1992, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
2. January 1993 – March 1993, Lead-In Fighter Training, Holloman AFB, N.M.
3. June 1993 – December 1993, F-16 Replacement Training Unit, Luke AFB, Ariz.
4. January 1994 – January 1995, Flight Lead and Scheduler, 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea
5. January 1995 – September 1997, Chief of Standardization & Evaluation, 77th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
6. September 1997 – June 1998, Assistant Chief of Wing Standardization & Evaluation, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea
7. July 1998 – December 1998, F-16 Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. January 1999 – February 2000, Weapons Officer, 68th Fighter Squadron, Moody AFB, Ga.
9. February 2000 – September 2002, Commander, 9th Air Force F-16 Demonstration Team, Shaw AFB, S.C.
10. June 2004 – June 2006, Wing Weapons Officer, 147th Fighter Wing, Texas ANG, Ellington Field, Texas
11. June 2006 – November 2010, Assistant Operations Officer, 100th Fighter Squadron, Alabama ANG, Montgomery Regional Air Guard Base, Ala.
12. November 2010 – March 2013, Deputy Operations Group Commander, 33d Operations Group, Florida ANG, Eglin AFB, Fla.
13. April 2013 – November 2013, Executive Officer to the Director of the Air National Guard, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
14. December 2013 – December 2014, J3 Director of Operations, CENTCOM Forward, Jordan
15. January 2015 – December 2017, Commander, 187th Fighter Wing, Dannelly Field ANGB, Montgomery, Ala.
16. December 2017 – June 2019, Assistant Adjutant General and Air Component Commander of the Alabama ANG, JFHQ-Air, Montgomery, Ala.
17. June 2019 – October 2019, Assistant Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Force Central, Shaw AFB, S.C.
18. October 2019 – April 2022, ANG Assistant to the Commander, 9th Air Force (Air Forces Central), Shaw AFB, S.C.
19. October 2021 – July 2026, Special Assistant to Director, Air National Guard for Integration, Washington, D.C.; dual-hatted, August 2024 – November 2024, Acting Commander, Air National Guard Readiness Center, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
20. April 2022 – July 2026, Special Assistant to the Director of the ANG and Advisor to Headquarters Air Force Total Force Integration (HAF/DSI) Office, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
21. August 2026 – Present, Acting Director, Air National Guard, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS

1. December 2013 – December 2014, J3 Director of Operations, CENTCOM Forward, Jordan, as a colonel

FLIGHT INFORMATION

Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,700, including 600 combat hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, AT-38B, F-16 Block 30/40/50

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

• Legion of Merit
• Defense Meritorious Service Medal
• Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
• Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters
• Aerial Achievement Medal with six oak leaf clusters
• Joint Service Commendation Medal

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

• 1994 Air-to-Air Top Heater Award, 80th Fighter Squadron
• 1994 Wingman of the Quarter, 80th Fighter Squadron
• 1995 Fighter Pilot of the Year, 77th Fighter Squadron
• 1997 IP of the Quarter, 77th Fighter Squadron
• 1998 IP of the Quarter, 80th Fighter Squadron
• 1998 USAF WIC Outstanding Graduate, Class 98-BIF
• 1998 Moody AFB Robbie Risner Award
• 1999 AEG Company Grade Officer of the Quarter
• 1999 Two-time Fighter Pilot of the Quarter, 68th Fighter Squadron
• 1999 Two-time IP of the Quarter, 68th Fighter Squadron
• 1999 IP of the Year, 68th Fighter Squadron
• 2001 IP of the Quarter, 78th Fighter Squadron
• 2012 Top 1% of all AWC distance-learning students (7,000 students)
• 2018 Association of Defense Communities Military Leadership Award

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

• Second Lieutenant – May 11, 1990
• First Lieutenant – Sept. 11, 1992
• Captain – Sept. 11, 1994
• Major – Oct. 1, 2001
• Lieutenant Colonel – Oct. 1, 2008
• Colonel – May 23, 2013
• Brigadier General – Dec. 15, 2017
• Major General – May 1, 2020

Current as of August 2026