BRIGADIER GENERAL KENNETH A. BORCHERS
Brig. Gen. Kenneth A. Borchers is the Assistant Adjutant General and Commander, Washington Air National Guard, at Camp Murray, Wash. He is responsible for the mission readiness and operational effectiveness of more than 2,100 military and civilian personnel assigned to the 141st Air Refueling Wing in Spokane, Wash., the 194th Wing at Camp Murray, the Western Air Defense Sector located at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM), Wash., and Headquarters, Washington Air National Guard, Camp Murray.
General Borchers entered the Air Force in January of 1992 as a traditional guard enlisted command and control specialist with the 111th Air Support Operations Center, Washington Air National Guard, Camp Murray. He was selected for commission as an intelligence officer in 1996. Shortly after graduation from intelligence training, he became the full-time Senior Intelligence Officer for the 305th Rescue Squadron, Air Force Reserve Command, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. While a member of the 305th, he deployed on numerous occasions in support of Operation NORTHERN WATCH, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.
Brig. Gen. Borchers took a four-year hiatus from his full-time reserve component career to work as a Senior Criminal Research Specialist for the Department of Homeland Security, specializing in Financial and Trade Investigations. During this period, he served as a traditional guardsman with the 262d Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron, Washington Air National Guard as a squadron tactics officer. Later he served with the 142d Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard as a traditional guard intelligence weapons officer. He returned to Washington as the Director of Operations for the newly established 194th Intelligence Squadron in 2008. The General was later transferred back to the 262d Network Warfare Squadron as the Detachment Commander in August of 2010. He took command of the 194th Intelligence Squadron on 6 November 2011. In October 2015 he transitioned to the 252d Cyberspace Operations Group as the Deputy Commander and was appointed Commander on 4 November 2017. In December of 2019, General Borchers was appointed the commander of the 194th Wing, where he was responsible for assuring worldwide readiness to support multiple federal and state missions in Special Warfare, Intelligence, and Cyberspace Operations. Prior to assuming his current position, General Borchers was the Director, Joint Staff, Washington National Guard and the Chief of Staff for the Washington Military Department.
EDUCATION
1992 Basic Military Training, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
1992 Command and Control Specialist Training, Keesler AFB, Miss.
1995 Bachelor of Arts, English Literature, Gonzaga University, Wash.
1996 Academy of Military Science, McGhee-Tyson ANGB, Tenn.
1997 Intelligence Officer Training, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
2001 USAF Weapons School, Outstanding Graduate, Academic Award, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2008 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2022 Domestic Joint Task Force Commander Course, U.S. Northern Command, Ft. Carson, Colo.
2023 Dual Status Commander Orientation, U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Space Force Base, Colo.
2023 General and Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1992 - May 1996, Command and Control Specialist, 111th Air Support Operations Squadron, Camp Murray, Wash.
2. May 1996 - May 1998, Intelligence Officer, 111th Air Support Operations Squadron, Camp Murray, Wash.
3. May 1998 - March 2004, Chief of Intelligence Operations, 305th Rescue Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
4. March 2004 - January 2006, Tactics Officer, 262d Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash.
5. January 2006 - February 2008, Intelligence Weapons Officer, 142d Operations Support Squadron, Portland ANGB, Ore.
6. February 2008 - November 2011, Director of Operations, 194th Intelligence Squadron, Camp Murray, Wash.
7. November 2011 - October 2015, Commander, 194th Intelligence Squadron, Camp Murray, Wash.
8. October 2015 - November 2017, Deputy Commander, 252d Cyberspace Operations Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
9. November 2017 - December 2019, Commander, 252d Cyberspace Operations Group, JB Lewis-McChord, Wash.
10. December 2019 - May 2022, Commander, 194th Wing, Camp Murray, Wash.
11. August 2023 - June 2024, Director of Joint Staff, Washington National Guard and Chief of Staff, Washington Military Department, Camp Murray, Wash.
12. June 2024—Present, Assistant Adjutant General, Washington Air National Guard, Camp Murray, Wash.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 23, 1996
First Lieutenant May 23, 1998
Captain Sept. 29, 2000
Major Jan. 7, 2005
Lieutenant Colonel Feb. 23, 2009
Colonel Sept. 15, 2016
Brigadier General Aug. 1, 2023
(Current as of March 2025)
