BRIGADIER GENERAL MATTHEW J. PETERSON
Retired August 15, 2024
Brig. Gen. Matthew J. Peterson served as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Deputy Surgeon General, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In his role, he assisted the Deputy Surgeon General in the overall operation of the Air Force Medical Service, composed of a $6.1 billion, 44,000-person integrated health care delivery system serving 2.6 million beneficiaries at 76 military treatment facilities worldwide. Key areas of responsibilities include clinical operations, aeromedical evacuation, global force management, readiness, strategic medical plans, programs and budget, medical force management and medical information systems management. Brig. Gen. Peterson facilitated Air Force Medical Service operations through major commands, joint service agencies, the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), the Defense Health Agency and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Brig. Gen. Peterson received a direct commission as a Medical Service Corps Officer in 1997. Since joining the Air National Guard in 1990, he has accumulated experience in federal and state health care operations, global patient movement, domestic and contingency operations planning and execution, state partnership, global health engagement and security cooperation. Brig. Gen. Peterson is a level III Joint Qualified Officer and has commanded three times including during expeditionary operations. He has deployed six times in support of contingency operations and has planned and executed numerous global health engagements across all six Geographic Combatant Commands. Brig. Gen. Peterson is certified in international affairs, has attained a special experience identifier as an International Health Specialist as well as regional experience identifiers for Europe, Latin America, Middle East/North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Board certified in health care management and finance, he is a Fellow of both the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Healthcare Financial Management Association. Prior to his current role, Brig. Gen. Peterson was the Special Assistant to the Director of the Air National Guard Medical Service, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
EDUCATION
1992 Bachelor of Business Administration, Financial Management, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks
1999 Master of Business Administration, Finance, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2008 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2011 Master of Healthcare Administration, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
2012 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2014 Executive Education, Operational Excellence, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2015 Commander Development Course, JB Andrews, Md.
2016 Executive Education, Health Care Strategy/Value Based Care, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2016 Executive Education, Operations Strategy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.
2017 Joint and Combined Warfighting School-Hybrid, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2018 Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Md.
2018 Joint Domestic Operations and Joint Task Force Training Course, NORAD and USNORTHCOM, St. Paul, Minn.
2019 Joint Humanitarian Operations Course, United States Agency for International Development, Tel Aviv, Israel
2019 Joint Senior Medical Leadership Course, Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute, Falls Church, Va.
2019 Security Cooperation Management Policy, Programs and Planning Course, Defense Institute of Security Cooperation Studies, Patch Barracks, Germany
2020 Air Force Medical Service Combined Senior Leader Course, Falls Church, Va.
2021 Regional Seminar - Africa, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
2023 General and Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar (GFOS), Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2023 National Strategic Studies Management Course, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
2023 Senior Leader Orientation Course (SLOC), JB Andrews, Md.
2024 Executive Education, AI Innovation for Strategic Impact, Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 1991 - April 1996, Flight Management Technician, 178th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Hector Field Air National Guard Base (ANGB), N.D. (December 1992 - January 1993, Flight Management Technician, 178th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Operation CORONET NIGHTHAWK, Howard Air Force Base, Panama)
2. April 1996 - September 1997, Flight Management Technician, 133d Operations Support Flight, St. Paul ANGB, Minn. (July 1997 - August 1997, Flight Management Technician, 38th Airlift Squadron, Operations JOINT GUARD and JOINT ENDEAVOR, Ramstein Air Base, Germany)
3. September 1997 - September 1999, Assistant Officer in Charge, Operational Support Training and Medical Logistics, 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, St. Paul ANGB, Minn.
4. September 1999 - September 2000, Officer in Charge, Operational Support Training and Aeromedical Evacuation Operations Officer, 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, St. Paul ANGB, Minn. (July 2000 - August 2000, Officer in Charge, Aeromedical Evacuation Operations Team, 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Operation JOINT GUARD, Ramstein AB, Germany)
5. October 2000 - September 2001, Officer in Charge, Computer and Database Management, 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, St. Paul ANGB, Minn.
6. September 2001 - September 2002, Administrator, Resource Advisor and Chief Information Officer, 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, St. Paul ANGB, Minn.
7. September 2002 - September 2003, Director of Operations and Chief Information Officer, 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron St. Paul ANGB, Minn. (June 2003 - December 2003, Officer in Charge, Aeromedical Evacuation Operations and Liaison Team, 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM, Al Udeid AB, Qatar and Camp Sather, Iraq)
8. December 2003 - September 2007, Chief of Plans and Operations, 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, St. Paul ANGB, Minn.
9. October 2007 - September 2010, Chief of Medical Readiness, 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, St. Paul ANGB, Minn. (September 2008 - February 2009, Director of Operations, 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM, Al Udeid AB, Qatar)
10. September 2010 - December 2012, Director of Operations, 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, St. Paul ANGB, Minn. (July 2010 - December 2010, Director of Operations and Medical Planner, Recovered Chemical Material Directorate, 451st Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan)
11. December 2012 - October 2014, Commander, 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, St. Paul ANGB, Minn. (October 2013 - March 2014, Commander, 10th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Ramstein AB, Germany)
12. October 2014 - September 2016, Commander, 194th Medical Group, Camp Murray, Wash.
13. February 2016 - September 2017, Air National Guard Assistant to the Air Force Medical Support Agency and Director of Medical Operations, Office of the Air Force Surgeon General, Headquarters Air Force, Defense Health Headquarters, Falls Church, Va.
14. September 2017 - December 2021, Assistant Director, Office of the Joint Surgeon, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va.
15. December 2021 - August 2022, Special Assistant to the Director, Air National Guard Medical Service, Air National Guard Readiness Center, Joint Base (JB) Andrews, Md.
16. August 2022 - August 2024, ANG Assistant to the Air Force Deputy Surgeon General, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 2017 - December 2021, Assistant Director, Office of the Joint Surgeon, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va. as a colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Commendation Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Army Commendation Medal
Joint Achievement Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Army Achievement Medal
CIVILIAN OCCUPATION
As a civilian, Brig. Gen. Peterson is the Executive Vice President and Divisional President of a Fortune 300 hospital management company that owns and operates over 400 acute care and behavioral hospitals globally. In this role, he is responsible for strategy, operations, and growth, provides leadership to over 45,000 personnel and manages a P&L of more than $6 Billion dollars. Prior to that role, he was the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at a Fortune 10 managed care, healthcare services and technology company that provides services to over 100 million people globally.
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Joint Qualified Officer – Level III
Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives
Fellow, Healthcare Financial Management Association
Special Experience Identifier International Health Specialist
Regional Special Experience Identifier Europe
Regional Special Experience Identifier Latin America
Regional Special Experience Identifier Middle East/North Africa
Regional Special Experience Identifier Sub-Saharan Africa
Certified, International Affairs and Security Cooperation
2010 and 2014 Lillian Keil Team Award
2003 Air National Guard Outstanding MSC Officer of the Year
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Sept. 21, 1997
First Lieutenant Sept. 21, 1999
Captain Sept. 21, 2001
Major March 17, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel April 16, 2010
Colonel July 27, 2015
Brigadier General Aug. 15, 2022
(Current as of August 2024)
