BRIGADIER GENERAL MATHEW C. WENTHE
Brig. Gen. Mathew Wenthe serves as Director, Plans, Programs and Requirements for the Air National Guard. In his role as NGB A5/8, General Wenthe directs and coordinates the development and integration of the Air National Guard’s $12 billion annual appropriation and National Guard Reserve Equipment Account into the U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense strategic requirements, planning, and programming processes. He leads a team that plans and integrates current and future Air National Guard role and missions and modernizes all weapons systems across ANG portfolio.
General Wenthe received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1996 and served twelve years on active duty before transitioning to the Air National Guard in 2008. He was an Instructor at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School and has performed several assignments as an HH-60G Combat Search and Rescue pilot performing Personnel Recovery operations in combat and peacetime for the US Air Force and the Air National Guard. He is a command pilot with more than 2700 flying hours in the T-37, UH-1, and HH-60G. He has flown over 200 combat missions in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.
Previously, General Wenthe served as Principal Deputy Director of Operations for the Air National Guard, assisting the Director in ensuring the mobilization, warfighting capabilities, domestic response, and readiness of the Air National Guard. Additionally, he served as the Chief of the International Affairs Division for the National Guard Bureau, managing the OSD State Partnership Program. He also commanded the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Test Center in Tucson, AZ, where he led operational and developmental tests and tactics development for all Air Reserve Component weapons systems. Prior to his current position, the General was the Deputy Director Plans and Requirements, National Guard Bureau, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.
EDUCATION
1996 Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2003 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2005 U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2007 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2013 Master of Science, Security Studies, Naval Postgraduate School, Calif.
2015 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2017 Master of Science, National Security Strategy, National War College, Washington D.C.
2021 Seminar XXI, National Security Strategy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Washington, D.C.
2022 Leading Strategically, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2023 Artificial Intelligence for National Security Leaders, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1996 - March 1997, Farish Recreation Area Facilities Manager, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
2. March 1997 - September 1997, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
3. September 1997 - July 1998, Student, UH-1 Helicopter Pilot Training, Ft Rucker, Ala.
4. August 1998 - March 1999, Student, HH-60G Initial Qualification, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
5. March 1999 - April 2001, Chief of Scheduling, 33d Rescue Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan
6. April 2001 - June 2002, Chief of Current Operations, Det 1, 33d Rescue Squadron, Osan AB, Korea
7. July 2002 - January 2005, Flight Commander, 66th Rescue Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. January 2005 - June 2005, Student, USAF Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
9. June 2005 - November 2006, Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 66th Rescue Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10. November 2006 - February 2008, Director of Operations, 34th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
11. February 2008 - October 2008, Chief, 57th Wing Advanced Programs, Nellis AFB, Nev.
12. October 2008 - September 2011, Chief, Weapons and Tactics, 129th Rescue Squadron, Moffett Federal Airfield, Calif.
13. September 2011 - November 2012, Commander, 129th Rescue Squadron, Moffett FAF, Calif.
14. November 2012 - November 2013, Helicopter Pilot-Wing Weapons Officer, 129th Rescue Wing, Moffett FAF, Calif.
15. November 2013 - June 2016, Division Chief, Personnel Recovery, Special Operations, and Battlefield Airmen, Air National Guard Readiness Center, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
16. July 2016 - June 2017, Student, National War College, Ft McNair, Washington, D.C.
17. June 2017 - June 2018, Division Chief, Plans and Execution, Air National Guard Readiness Center, JB Andrews, Md.
18. June 2018 - June 2020, Commander, ANG and AFRC Test Center, Morris Air National Guard Base, Ariz.
19. July 2020 - July 2022, Chief, International Affairs, National Guard Bureau, Arlington Hall, Arlington, Va.
20. July 2022 - February 2023, Director of Staff, Office of the Director, Air National Guard, the Pentagon, Washington D.C.
21. February 2023 - September 2023, Principal Deputy Director, Operations, National Guard Bureau, JB Andrews, Md.
22. September 2023 - March 2024, Deputy Director Plans and Requirements, National Guard Bureau, JB Andrews, Md.
23. March 2024 - Present, Director, Plans, Programs and Requirements, National Guard Bureau, JB Andrews, Md.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2020 - July 2022, Chief, International Affairs, National Guard Bureau, Arlington Hall, Arlington, Va. as a colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 2,700
Aircraft flown: T-37, UH-1, HH-60G
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with Valor device
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2005 Outstanding Graduate, USAF Weapons School
2016 Center for Homeland Defense and Security Notable Thesis, “In Harmony With the Population: Ethnomusicology as a Framework for Countering Violent Extremism in the Sahel”
2016 Test Director, Joint Personnel Recovery Information Digital Exchange (J-PRIDE) Quick Reaction Test
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 29, 1996
First Lieutenant May 29, 1998
Captain May 29, 2000
Major April 1, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel June 22, 2012
Colonel June 9, 2017
Brigadier General March 15, 2024
(Current as of June 2024)
