Assistant
Adjutant General - Air, Arkansas National Guard
Brigadier General Travis D. Balch is Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Arkansas National Guard and also serves as Commander, Arkansas Air National Guard. He is the principle advisor to The Adjutant General on all Arkansas Air National Guard matters. General Balch is also responsible for the combat readiness and operational effectiveness of the Air National Guard units. He is also dual-hatted as Air National Guard Advisor to the US TRANSCOM, National Guard Bureau.
General Balch joined the Arkansas Air National Guard in 1979 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant after completing the Academy of Military Science in Knoxville, Tennessee. He served in various positions including Instructor Pilot, Chief Current Operations and Chief Standardization/Evaluation, 154th Training Squadron Commander, 189th Operations Group Commander, 189th Vice Wing Commander, and 189th Airlift Wing Commander before assuming his present position. He has accumulated more than 4,500 flying hours in commercial, trainer, tanker and airlift aircraft.
1979 University of Arkansas, Bachelor of Arts, Zoology, Fayetteville,
Arkansas
1980 University of Arkansas, Bachelor of Science, Education, Fayetteville,
Arkansas
1995 United States Air War College, by Correspondence
2008 Joint Task Force Commanders Course, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
2009 United States Army War College, Senior Reserve Component Officers Course,
Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania
2009 University of Tennessee, Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century,
Knoxville, Tennessee
2010 George C. Marshall Center, Senior Executive Seminar, Garmisch, Germany
2011 Dual Status Title 10/32 Joint Task Force Commander's Course, Peterson Air
Force Base, Colorado
2012 Dual Status Commander Certification, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
2013 General and Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar, Harvard
University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
2014 Enterprise Perspective Seminar, Washington, District of Columbia
1. February 1980 - January 1981, Personnel Officer, 188th Tactical Fighter Group, Arkansas Air National Guard, Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Fort Smith, Arkansas
2. February 1981 - February 1982, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma
3. March 1982 - September 1986, Pilot, KC-135, 154th Air Refueling Squadron, Arkansas Air National Guard, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
4. October 1986 - November 1989, Pilot, Standardization Evaluation, 189th Tactical Airlift Group, Arkansas Air National Guard, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
5. December 1989 - March 1994, Chief, Current Operations, 189th Tactical Airlift Group, Arkansas Air National Guard, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
6. March 1994 - June 1994, Chief, Standardization Evaluation, 189th Tactical Airlift Group, Arkansas Air National Guard, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
7. June 1994 - February 1997, Commander, 154th Training Squadron, Arkansas Air National Guard, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
8. February 1997- April 2001, Commander, 189th Operations Group, Arkansas Air National Guard, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
9. April 2001 - August 2003, Vice Commander, 189th Airlift Wing, Arkansas Air National Guard, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
10. August 2003 - November 2007, Commander, 189th Airlift Wing, Arkansas Air National Guard, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
11. May 2008 - March 2012, Chief of Staff, Arkansas Air National Guard, Camp
Robinson, North Little Rock, Arkansas
12. August 2012 - Oct 2014, A-1 Assistant to the Director, Air National Guard,
National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia
13. March 2011 - Present, Assistant Adjutant General - Air and Commander,
Arkansas Air National Guard, Camp Robinson, North Little Rock, Arkansas;
dual-hatted, November 2014- Present, Air National Guard Advisor to the US
TRANSCOM, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 4,500
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, KC-135A/E, C-130E
Wings Earned: Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Outstanding Unit Award (with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star)
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal (with 2 Bronze Service Stars)
Air Force Longevity Medal (with 1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster and 1 Bronze Oak Leaf
Cluster)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with Gold Hourglass)
Air Force Training Ribbon
Arkansas Distinguished Service Medal
Arkansas Service Ribbon (with 1 Silver Diamond Device and 2 Bronze Devices)
Arkansas Emergency Service Ribbon
Arkansas Recruiting Ribbon
Second Lieutenant 28 February 1980
First Lieutenant 28 February 1983
Captain 5 October 1985
Major 5 May 1990
Lieutenant Colonel 9 June 1994
Colonel 30 March 2000
Brigadier General 1 May 2008
(Current as of November 2014)
The date of publication indicated on this biography reflects the most recent update. It does not necessarily reflect the date of printing.