Major General Michael J. Shira is the assistant adjutant general for the Arizona Air National Guard. General Shira functions as the commander and is responsible for two flying wings and one geographically separated unit. He is responsible for providing operationally trained, equipped and mission-ready forces to support national defense requirements worldwide and emergency responses throughout Arizona. He also observes status of resources and training, inspections, plans, air space issues, and other operations and logistics interests. In addition, General Shira serves as the Air National Guard assistant to the commander of Pacific Air Forces. As the assistant, he serves as the principal advisor on Air National Guard forces assigned to the Pacific Command and assists the Pacific Air Forces commander in development of plans, policies, and programs for peacetime training missions to strengthen Air National Guard capability for wartime deployment.
General Shira graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1970 and received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University in 1982. After graduating from pilot training he completed flying assignments in Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand and the United States. He joined the Iowa Air National Guard in 1977 where he held numerous positions until he transferred to the Arizona Air National Guard in October 1985. Here he performed duties as the assistant chief of standardization and evaluation, A-7 Fighter Weapons School instructor, chief of scheduling, F-16 Fighter Weapons School instructor, commander of the 152nd Fighter Squadron, Deputy Operations Group commander, Operations Group commander, Vice Wing commander and Operation Snowbird commander. General Shira is a command pilot with 147 combat missions in Southeast Asia along with more than 5,200 flying hours in the A-7D, F-16A and F-16C aircraft.
1970 Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering, Air Force Academy, Colorado
1982 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
1974 Squadron Officer School, (Correspondence), Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1975 Air Command and Staff College, (Correspondence), Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1995 Air War College (seminar), Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1. August 1970 - September 1971, student, undergraduate pilot training, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas
2. September 1971 - October 1972, A-7 combat crew training, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
3. October 1972 - October 1973, A-7D aircraft commander, 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand
4. January 1974 - December 1976, A-7D instructor pilot, 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
5. January 1977 - January 1978, chief, standardization and evaluation, 124th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Iowa Air National Guard Base, Des Moines, Iowa
6. February 1978 - June 1980, chief, weapons and tactics, 124th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Iowa Air National Guard Base, Des Moines, Iowa
7. July 1980 - May 1982, flight commander, 124th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Iowa Air National Guard Base, Des Moines, Iowa
8. October 1985 - October 1986, assistant chief of standardization and evaluation, 152nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Tucson Air National Guard Base, Tucson, Arizona
9. October 1986 - May 1987, instructor, A-7D Fighter Weapons School, 162nd Tactical Fighter Group, Tucson Air National Guard Base, Tucson, Arizona
10. May 1987 - December 1988, chief of Scheduling, 162nd Tactical Fighter Group, Tucson Air National Guard Base, Tucson, Arizona
11. January 1989 - February 1994, commander, 152nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, 162nd Tactical Fighter Group, Tucson Air National Guard Base, Tucson, Arizona
12. August 1992 - February 1994, instructor, F-16 Fighter Weapons School, 162nd Tactical Fighter Group, Tucson Air National Guard Base, Tucson, Arizona
13. February 1994 - October 1994, Deputy Operations Group Commander, 162nd Fighter Group, Tucson Air National Guard Base, Tucson, Arizona
14. October 1994 - January 1999, Operations Group Commander, 162nd Fighter Group, Tucson Air National Guard Base, Tucson, Arizona
15. January 1999 - June 2003, Vice Commander, 162nd Fighter Wing, Tucson Air National Guard Base, Tucson, Arizona
16. June 2003 - March 2004, Operation Snowbird Commander
17. March 2004 - present, assistant adjutant general, Joint Headquarters, Arizona Air National Guard, Phoenix, Arizona
18. March 2006 - present, Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Honolulu, Hawaii
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 5,200 hours
Aircraft flown: A-7D, F-16A and F-16C
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters
Second Lieutenant 3 June 1970
First Lieutenant 3 December 1971
Captain 3 December 1973
Major 22 February 1981
Lieutenant Colonel 7 November 1987
Colonel 9 June 1995
Brigadier General 13 February 2004
Major General 18 November 2005
(Current as of December 2007)
The date of publication indicated on this biography reflects the most recent update. It does not necessarily reflect the date of printing.