BRIGADIER GENERAL WILLIAM R. BURKS
Brig. Gen. William R. Burks was the Adjutant General for the State of Nevada. As Adjutant General, he was the senior uniformed Nevada National Guard officer responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, programs and plans affecting more than 3,500 Nevada Army and Air National Guard personnel. Appointed by the Governor, State of Nevada, General Burks served as the Governor's principal adviser on all National Guard issues, was responsible for both the federal and state missions of the Nevada National Guard, and served as the official channel of communication with the National Guard Bureau, Department of the Army, and Department of the Air Force.
General Burks began his military career with the Nevada Air National Guard when he was selected to attend navigator training for the152nd Tactical Reconnaissance Group in Reno and received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1978. He earned his navigator wings at Mather Air Force Base, California and weapons system officer rating at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, in 1978. He served in various assignments with the 152nd Airlift Wing - such as, Assistant Plans Officer, Deputy Chief of Standards/Evaluations, and the Chief of Standards/Evaluations.
Prior to his current position, General Burks was the Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Nevada National Guard, and also served as Director of the Joint Staff, Joint Staff Headquarters, Nevada National Guard. During this timeframe, he also acted as a Special Assistant to the Headquarters Air Force Quadrennial Defense Review Office. While on a Statutory Title 10 Tour, he was the Director of Staff, Headquarters Air Force Quadrennial Defense Review, where he was responsible for examining the national security strategy and identifying force structures to support its requirements. Previous to this position, General Burks held similar positions within the Headquarter Air Force, Strategic Planning Directorate and Defense Review/Integration Directorate, where his responsibilities included developing and writing the 2007 Air Force Strategic Plan and establishing the Chief of Staff Air Force's Heritage to Horizons effort.
EDUCATION
1976 Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, University of Nevada
1999 Air War College, by correspondence
2000 Master of Science in National Security Strategy, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
2000 Naval War College (NWC), in residence
2008 SLOC, in residence
2009 Syracuse University, National Security Leadership Course (NSLC), in residence
2010 Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO21)
2010 George C. Marshall Center, Senior Executive Seminar, seminar
2016 General and Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 1978 - October 1978, Student, Undergraduate Navigator Training, Mather AFB, Calif.
2. October 1978 - April 1979, Student, Weapons Systems Officer, RF-4C, Tactical Reconnaissance Course, Shaw AFB, S.C.
3. May 1979 - April 1981, Unit Navigator, 192 TAC Recon Squadron, NVANG, Reno, Nev.
4. May 1981 - April 1991, Unit Weapons Systems Operator, 192 TAC Recon Squadron, NVANG, Reno, Nev.
5. May 1991 - April 1992, Standardization Evaluation Flight Examiner, 152 Reconnaissance Group (TAC), NVANG, Reno, Nev.
6. May 1992 - April 1994, Standardization Evaluation Flight Examiner, 152 Reconnaissance Group (CMB), NVANG, Reno, Nev.
7. May 1994 - August 1995, Standard Evaluation Flight Examiner, 152 Operations Group (CMB), NVANG, Reno, Nev.
8. August 1995 - June 1996, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. June 1996 - January 1997, Special Assistant to Director, Operations, Plans and Programs, NGB, Arlington, Va.
10. January 1997 - June 1997, Chief, Combat Plans Section, NGB (HQ USAF), Arlington, Va.
11. June 1997 - June 1998, Chief, Force Plans Branch, NGB, Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. June 1998 - August 1999, ANG Special Assistant to CSAF National Defense Review Team – Future Total Force Project Officer, NGB, Arlington, Va.
13. August 1999 - June 2000, Student, National War College, Fort McNair, Arlington, Va.
14. June 2000 - June 2002, Chief, Total Force Division, Air Force Quadrennial Defense Review, Pentagon ADM, Va.
15. June 2002 - June 2003, Assistant Deputy Director of Strategic Planning, Pentagon, Washington DC, Va.
16. June 2003 - March 2005, Director of Support Services, Pentagon, Washington DC, Va.
17. April 2005 - March 2006, Assistant Deputy Director of Air Force strategic Planning, NGB, Pentagon, Washington DC, Va.
18. April 2006 - April 2007, Director of Staff, NGB, Pentagon ADM, Va.
19. April 2007 - June 2009, Assistant Adjutant General, Joint Force Headquarters, NVANG, Carson City, Nev.
20. June 2009 - August 2019, The Adjutant General, Nevada, Carson City, NV
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” device and four bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal Award with silver oak leaf cluster and bronze oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Southwest Asia Service Medal with two bronze stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal .
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon with silver oak leaf cluster and bronze oak leaf cluster
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with gold hourglass and “M” device
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon
Kuwait Liberation Medal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Kuwait Liberation Medal Government of Kuwait
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Feb. 16, 1978
First Lieutenant Feb. 16, 1981
Captain Feb. 16, 1985
Major Feb. 16, 1992
Lieutenant Colonel July 13, 1996
Colonel Oct. 4, 2000
Brigadier General April 16, 2007
(Current as of October 2019)
