Retired
Brigadier General Robert J. Yaple is the assistant adjutant general for Air, Kentucky Air National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky. As assistant adjutant general for Air, he represents the Governor and the adjutant general of Kentucky as the principal advisor on matters pertaining to the Kentucky Air National Guard. He serves as the commander of Headquarters, Kentucky Air National Guard. In this capacity he has command and control responsibility of all Air National Guard units in Kentucky. He is responsible to the adjutant general of Kentucky for the overall management of the flying unit within the state.
Prior to his current position he was the Joint Forces air component commander for the Joint Forces Headquarters Kentucky. He was both a navigator and pilot in the unit for more than 20 years and held a variety of positions at all levels in operations. Colonel Yaple was commissioned through the University of Vermont 's Army ROTC program in 1980. He attended the Armor Officer Basic Course in Fort Knox, Kentucky, before joining the Kentucky Air National Guard in 1981. He began his career in the unit as a Weapons System Operator until 1985 when he became a pilot. He also served as Command Post Officer, Flight Commander and Headquarters Director of Operations. During his Kentucky Air National Guard career, Colonel Yaple has participated in Operations RESTORE HOPE, JOINT ENDEAVOR and PROVIDE PROMISE. In 2003, in response to the Global War on Terror, Colonel Yaple served as a deployed Detachment Commander of Joint Task Forces in support of Operation NOBLE EAGLE and as a senior controller of the Tactical Airlift Command and Control Center at Air Mobility Command Headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, IL.
1980 Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
2000 Air War College , by correspondence
1. September 1978 - September 1979, cadet, ROTC/Army National Guard Simultaneous Membership Program, Company D 50th Maintenance Battalion, Vermont Army National Guard, Burlington, VT
2. September 1979 - May 1980, cadet, ROTC/Army National Guard Simultaneous Membership Program, Company A 150th Maintenance Battalion, Vermont Army National Guard, Burlington, VT
3. September 1980 - January 1981, U.S. Army Armor Officer Basic Course, Fort Knox, Kentucky
4. January 1981 - April 1981, Transportation Section Leader, Headquarters Company 1st Battalion 172nd Armor, Vermont Army National Guard, Burlington, VT
5. April 1981 - March 1982, Undergraduate Navigator Training, Mather Air Force Base, CA
6. March 1982 - August 1984, Navigator/Weapons Systems Operator, 165th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
7. August 1984 - August 1985, undergraduate pilot training, Laughlin Air Force Base, TX
8. September 1985 - February 1989, pilot, 165th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
9. February 1989 - April 1992, Command Post Officer Controller, pilot, 123d Tactical Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
10. April 1992 - August 1994, assistant flight commander, 165th Airlift Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
11. August 1994 - July 1997, flight commander, 165th Airlift Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
12. July 1997 - August 1999, operations officer, 165th Airlift Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
13. August 1999 - November 2000, operational support flight commander, 123d Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
14. November 2000 - January 2002, director of operations, State Headquarters, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
15. January 2002 - January 2003, director of operations, 123d Operations Group, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
16. January 2003 - October 2003, vice wing commander, 123d Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
17. November 2003 - July 2005, chief of staff, State Headquarters, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
18. August 2005 - Present, assistant adjutant general for Air, Headquarters, Kentucky Air National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky
Ratings: Command Pilot, Navigator
Flight hours: More than 3,000
Aircraft flown: C-130, RF-4, T-38, T-37
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
United Nations Expeditionary Forces Medal
Combat Readiness Medal with eight devices
Air Force Longevity Service Award with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with seven oak leaf clusters
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
National Defense Service Medal with star
Air Force Outstanding Unit Medal with 10 devices
Second Lieutenant, 17 May 1980
First Lieutenant, 09 July 1983
Captain, 11 August 1985
Major, 10 February 1991
Lieutenant Colonel, 05 August 1995
Colonel, 29 June 2001
Brigadier General, 28 Oct 2005
(Current as of April 2006)
The date of publication indicated on this biography reflects the most recent update. It does not necessarily reflect the date of printing.