Major
General Russell C. Axtell is the Air National Guard (ANG) Assistant to the Commander,
Air Force Space Command (AFSPC/CC) and director of Air National Guard Forces,
Headquarters AFSPC, Peterson Air Force Base, CO. He serves as the principal
advisor on matters affecting the Air National Guard forces assigned to AFSPC
and provides administrative oversight of assigned ANG personnel. Major General
Axtell keeps the Director of the Air National Guard abreast of critical AFSPC
issues and the potential impact of those issues on the Air National Guard. He
also coordinates all AFSPC National Guard matters with the Adjutants General
of the several States and Territories, and the District of Columbia.
Maj Gen Axtell was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Kansas Air National Guard in 1969. Following pilot training, he served as an instructor pilot in the F-105 and F-4 aircraft for the Kansas Air National Guard. In 1983 he became the Deputy Commander for Resources for the 184th TFG. In 1986 he was assigned as Air National Guard advisor for plans and operations, Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, VA. After completing the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, he served as a special projects officer for the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., overseeing the installation of all of the Air National Guard's local area networks. In March of 1990, he returned to Kansas and served as the commander of the United States' largest Air National Guard range, Smoky Hill ANG Range, located near Salina, Kansas. In November 1993 he assumed command of the 184th Fighter Group in Wichita, Kansas, where he oversaw the transition of the unit's aircraft and mission from the F-16 Falcon in a training mission to the B-1 Lancer in an operational mission. The 184th Bomb Wing was the first National Guard unit in the United States to operate the B-1. In 1997 he was assigned as the Chief of Staff for the Kansas Air National Guard. In February 2000 and he was assigned as the Adjutant for Air for the Kansas Air National Guard and also served as the Commander, Kansas Air National Guard, Topeka, Kansas. He assumed his present position in May 2003.
1977 Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering, Wichita State University, KS
1972 Squadron Officers School, by correspondence
1977 Air War College, by seminar
1988 Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2000 Capstone, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
1. July 1969 - July 1970, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, 3501 Student
Squadron, Reese Air Force Base, TX
2. July 1970 - March 1971, student, F-100 Combat Crew Training School, 162nd
Tactical Fighter Group, Tucson, AZ
3. March 1971 - July 1971, F-105, pilot, 127 Tactical Fighter Squadron,
McConnell Air Force Base, KS
4. July 1971 - October 1979, F-105 instructor pilot, 127 Tactical Fighter
Squadron, McConnell Air Force Base, KS
5. October 1979 - May 1983, F-4 instructor pilot, 127 Tactical Fighter Squadron,
McConnell Air Force Base, KS
6. June 1983 - February 1986, instructor pilot and deputy commander of
resources, 184 Tactical Fighter Group, McConnell Air Force Base, KS
7. March 1986 - July 1987, Air National Guard advisor for plans and operations,
Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley Air Force Base, VA
8. July 1987 - June 1988, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort
Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
9. June 1988 - March 1990, special projects officer, National Guard Bureau,
Washington, D.C.
10. March 1990 - November 1993, commander, 184 Tactical Fighter Group,
Detachment 1, Smoky Hill Weapons Range, KS
11. November 1993 - July 1997, commander, 184 Bomb Wing, McConnell Air Force
Base, KS
12. July 1997 - February 2000, chief of staff, Headquarters, Kansas Air National
Guard, Topeka, KS
13. February 2000 - May 2003, assistant adjutant general/air and commander of
the Kansas Air National Guard, Headquarters, Kansas Air National Guard, Topeka,
KS
14. May 2003 - Present, Air National Guard assistant to Commander, Air Force
Space Command, Peterson AFB, CO
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,000
Aircraft flown: F-100, F-105, F-4, F-16 and B-1
Pilot wings from: Reese Air Force Base, TX
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
National Defense Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Award with seven oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with hourglass device
Air Force Training Ribbon
Kansas National Guard Meritorious Service Ribbon
Kansas National Guard Commendation Ribbon
Kansas State Emergency Duty Service Ribbon
Kansas National Guard Service Award with two devices
Retired Civil Service Employee (Commander, 184th Bomb Wing, Kansas Air
National Guard)
Flight Safety International
Second Lieutenant May 15, 1969
First Lieutenant May 15, 1972
Captain May 15, 1975
Major Sep 7, 1979
Lieutenant Colonel Sep 9, 1983
Colonel Nov 15, 1993
Brigadier General (Line) Mar 2, 1998
Major General (Line) Feb, 6, 2004
(Current as of March 2004)
The date of publication indicated on this biography reflects the most recent update. It does not necessarily reflect the date of printing.