BRIGADIER GENERAL JEFFREY L. WILKINSON
Brig. Gen. Jeffrey L. Wilkinson is the Assistant Adjutant General-Air, Kentucky Air National Guard, Boone National Guard Center, Frankfort, KY. He assists The Adjutant General in providing leadership and management of a diverse unit including tactical airlift, special operations and contingency response units. In addition, General Wilkinson serves the state full-time as Deputy Adjutant General and is responsible for more than 8,000 Army and Air National Guard (ANG) members in all aspects of operations, personnel, equipment and funding matters, ensuring the state is ready to perform its wartime mission and support the state during domestic operations. He is the ANG Assistant to the Director of Operations, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). In this role, General Wilkinson advises AFSOC/A3 on ANG mission capabilities and requirements ensuring the highest levels of readiness across ten units supporting command objectives.
General Wilkinson received his commission in January 1990 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Syracuse University, in Syracuse, N.Y. He has spent most of his career in Air Force Special Operations, with time split between active duty, traditional Air National Guard duty and Active Guard Reserve duty as both special tactics and combat rescue officer. He has participated in multiple overseas deployments, including Operation Uphold Democracy, Operation Joint Endeavor, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as numerous national exercises and natural disaster-response missions. Prior to accepting his current post, General Wilkinson served as Vice-Commander of the 123d Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard.
EDUCATION
1989 Artium Baccalaureatus in Mathematics, Syracuse University, New York
1992 Combat Control School, Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina
2001 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
2006 Combat Rescue Officer School, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico
2007 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2009 Joint Advanced Warfighter School, Homeland Security Planners Course, Norfolk, VA
2013 Air War College (AWC), by Correspondence
2014 Level IV Antiterrorism Executive Training, Falls Church, VA
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1990 - April 1991, Student, Air Traffic Control Officer Training, 2021st Communications Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.
2. April 1991 - March 1992, Student, Combat Control Officer Training, 325th Communications Squadron
3. April 1992 - December 1993, Officer In Charge, Green Team, 1721st Combat Control Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.
4. January 1994 - January 1995, Officer In Charge, Special Tactics Team, 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.
5. July 1995 - December 1996, Commander, Special Tactics Flight, 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.
6. March 2000 - November 2005, Special Tactics Officer, 123d Special Tactics Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky.
7. November 2005 - April 2006, Student, Combat Rescue Officer Training, Detachment 1, 342nd Training Squadron, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
8. April 2006 - June 2008, Director of Operations, 123d Special Tactics Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky.
9. June 2008 - June 2013, Commander, 123d Special Tactics Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky.
10. June 2013 - February 2019, Vice Wing Commander, 123d Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky.
11. February 2019 - March 2019, Assistant Adjutant General, Frankfort, KY
12. July 2019 - Present, Assistant Adjutant General, Frankfort, Ky.; dual-hatted, January 2020 - Present, ANG Assistant AFSOC A3, , Fla.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with aak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Gallant Unit Citation
Air Force Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and four oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal (Air Force) with five oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star Device
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant April 30, 1990
First Lieutenant April 30, 1992
Captain April 30, 1994
Major Oct. 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel Jan. 20, 2009
Colonel March 5, 2014
Brigadier General July 16, 2019
(Current as of March 2021)