BRIGADIER GENERAL THOMAS B. HATLEY
Retired October 01, 2020
Brigadier General Thomas B. Hatley was the Vice Director, Strategic Plans, Policy, and International Affairs, J5, National Guard Bureau. In this capacity, he assisted the director in providing strategic direction, policy guidance, and planning focus recommendations to the Chief, National Guard Bureau, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council, ensuring the readiness of more than 453,000 Army and Air National Guard personnel across the full spectrum of national security concerns. Furthermore, he also coordinated across the breadth of the Department of Defense, as well as with interagency and international partners in the course of executing the National Defense Strategy.
Brigadier General Hatley is a 1995 distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps from Louisiana Tech University. He has commanded at the squadron and wing level, across Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Combat Command. In addition, he is a graduate of the United States Air Force Weapons School, the United States Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, and the National War College. His staff experience includes assignments on the Chairman’s Joint Staff as well as the National Guard Bureau Joint Staff.
EDUCATION
1995 Bachelor of Arts in History, magna cum laude, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, La.
2002 Squadron Officer School, Distinguished Graduate and Outstanding Squadron Graduate, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2003 Master of Science in Aviation Safety, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Mo.
2008 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2009 USAF Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
2012 Air War College, by correspondence
2012 Master of Philosophy in Military Strategy, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2016 Master of Science in National Security Strategy, National War College, Ft. McNair, Washington D.C.
2019 Continuous Process Improvement for Executives (CPIE), Cincinnati, Ohio
2019 Harvard University, Senior Executives in National and International Security (SENIS), Cambridge, Mass.
2019 National Security Studies Management Course (NSSMC), Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse, NY.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1995 - May 1997, Safety Officer and Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance Air Force Base, Okla.
2. May 1997 - November 1997, B-52H Initial Qualification, Barksdale AFB, La.
3. November 1997 - January 2001, B-52H Pilot, Standardization and Evaluation Pilot, Aircraft Commander, and Assistant Flight Commander, 20th Bomb Squadron, Barksdale AFB, La.
4. January 2001 - September 2001, T-38A Requalification and B-2A Initial Qualification, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
5. September 2001 - September 2003, B-2A Pilot and Mission Commander, Scheduler, and Chief of Scheduling, 393rd Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
6. September 2003 - January 2006, B-2A Instructor Pilot, Chief of Electronic Combat, Survivability and Tactics Flight Commander, and Wing Weapons Officer, 509th Operational Support Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
7. January 2006 - January 2008, Target Effects Team Planner, Plans Division, 157th Air Operations Group, Jefferson Barracks Air National Guard Station, St. Louis, Mo.
8. January 2008 - December 2009, B-2A Instructor Pilot and Chief, Wing Plans and Programs, 131st Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
9. December 2009 - June 2011, Director of Operations, 110th Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
10. July 2011 - June 2012, Student, USAF School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
11. July 2012 - August 2013, Commander, 110th Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
12. August 2013 - July 2015, Department of Defense Liaison to FEMA, Joint Staff, J-33 Directorate for Nuclear, Homeland Defense, and Current Operations, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
13. July 2015 - June 2016, Student, National War College, Ft McNair, Washington D.C.
14. June 2016 - February 2017, Vice Commander, 119th Wing, Fargo, N.D.
15. February 2017 - August 2018, Commander, 119th Wing, Fargo, N.D.
16. August 2018 - May 2019, Director Joint Actions Control Office, Office of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
17. June 2019 - October 2020, Vice Director, Strategic Plans, Policy, and International Affairs, J5, National Guard Bureau, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2013 - July 2015, Department of Defense Liaison to FEMA, Joint Staff, J-33 Directorate for Nuclear, Homeland Defense, and Current Operations, Pentagon, Washington D.C. as a Colonel
2. August 2018 - May 2019, Director Joint Actions Control Office, Office of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Pentagon, Washington D.C. as a Colonel
3. June 2019 - October 2020, Vice Director, Strategic Plans, Policy, and International Affairs, J5, National Guard Bureau, Pentagon, Washington D.C. as a Brigadier General
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 2,300
Aircraft flown: MQ-9, B-2A, T-38A, B-52H
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Kosovo Campaign Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon
Air Force Longevity Service with silver oak leaf cluster
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 'M' device and gold hourglass
Air Force Training Ribbon
NATO Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 31, 1995
First Lieutenant May 31, 1997
Captain May 31, 1999
Major Oct. 1, 2005
Lieutenant Colonel Nov. 12, 2009
Colonel Dec. 20, 2013
Brigadier General June 1, 2019
(Current as of November 2021)
