Brigadier General Rafael . Carrero
Brigadier General Rafael Carrero was the Chief of Staff for the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. He directs and controls the operational readiness of the 156th Airlift Wing, the 140th Air Support Flight and the 141st Air Control Squadron. He coordinated all staff activities pertaining to personnel, administration, operations, intelligence, planning, and programming of resources.
General Carrero received his commission in 1984 from University of Puerto Rico's, US Army Reserve Officer Training Course and has served tours of duty in support of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Provide Hope, Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.
EDUCATION
1987 Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese Air Force Base, Texas
1992 NATO Officer Orientation Course, NATO School, Oberammergau, Germany
1994 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Master Degree in Aviation Operations, Everglades University, Boca Raton, Fla.
2010 Expeditionary Operations Course, NATO School, Oberammergau, Germany
2012 Director of Mobility Forces Course, Air Mobility Operations School, Hurlburt Air Force Base, Fla.
2012 Safety and Accident Investigation Board President Course, USAF Safety School, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
2013 Level IV Antiterrorism Executive Training, McLean, Va.
2013 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2014 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
2015 Senior Executive Seminar, George C. Marshall Center for European Studies, Germany
2016 Defense Support of Civil Authorities Course, USNORTHCOM, Colorado Spring, Colo.
2017 Dual Status Commander Course, USNORTHCOM, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2017 Joint Task Force Commander Course, USNORTHCOM, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2018 Continuous Process Improvement for Executives (CPIE); Chapel Hill, N.C.
2018 Senior Leader Orientation Course (SLOC); Joint Base Andrews, Md. & Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 1981 - April 1983, Signal NCO, 448th Combat Engineering Battalion, Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico
2. April 1983 - March 1987, Budget Officer, 7581st US Army Garrison, Fort. Buchanan, Puerto Rico
3. April 1987 - April 1988, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese Air Force Base, Texas
4. November 1988 - September 1996, Training Officer, 156th Airlift Squadron, Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
5. September 1996 - October 1997, Examiner Pilot, 156th Operations Group, Air National Guard Base, Carolina, Puerto Rico
6. October 1998 - April 2003, Flight Commander, 198th Airlift Squadron, Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Carolina, Puerto Rico
7. April 2003 - September 2005, Chief, Current Operations, 156th Operations Group, Air National Guard Base, Carolina, Puerto Rico
8. October 2005 - March 2008, Commander, 198th Airlift Squadron, Muñiz ANGB, Carolina, Puerto Rico
9. September 2008 - June 2009, Chief, Current Operations Branch, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
10. July 2009 - December 2009, Director of Staff, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing, Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan
11. January 2010 - April 2010, Deputy Commander, 86th Operations Group, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
12. May 2011 - February 2012, Commander, 156th Operations Group, Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Carolina, Puerto Rico
13. February 2012 - February 2013, Commander, 156th Airlift Wing, Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Carolina, Puerto Rico
14. February 2013 - September 2013, Director of Operations, Puerto Rico Air National Guard, San Juan, Puerto Rico
15. September 2013 - January 2017, Air National Guard Advisor to the Director of Operations, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.; deployed, Sep - Oct 2016: Deputy Director of Mobility Forces, Ulchi Freedom Guardian, Osan Air Base, South Korea
16. June 2017 - December 2018, Chief of Staff, San Juan, PR
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: 7,500
Aircraft flown: C-141, C-130, C-26, T-37B, T-38A
Pilot wings: Reese Air Force Base, Texas
AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal (one oak leaf cluster)
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Meritorious Unit Award
Combat Readiness Medal (one oak leaf cluster)
Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal (one oak leaf cluster)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal (three star devices)
Afghanistan Campaign Medal (one star device)
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal (one star device)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal (Silver hourglass and 3 M devices)
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait)
CIVILIAN OCCUPATION
First Officer, Airbus 330, American Airlines, Philadelphia International Airport
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 1, 1984
First Lieutenant June 1, 1987
Captain June 1, 1991
Major Sept. 15, 1997
Lieutenant Colonel Sept. 15, 2004
Colonel Dec. 17, 2011
Brigadier General June 1, 2017
(Current as of January 2019)
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