MAJOR GENERAL TIMOTHY R. RUSH

Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, 9th Air Force/United States Air Forces Central Command

Major General Timothy R. Rush is the Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, 9th Air Force/United States Air Forces Central Command.

General Rush was a distinguished graduate from The Citadel and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1974. While serving 10 years in the United States Air Force, he garnered several international awards while flying the F-4 and F-16. During William Tell '79, General Rush was named Top F-4 Pilot and during Gunsmoke '80 he won the Top F-4 Pilot award, and tied for Top Overall Pilot. In 1981, he was honored as winner of the Anthony B. Shine Award, given annually to the United States Air Force's top fighter pilot. From 1982-1985, General Rush was a United States Air Force F-16 Demonstration Pilot, performing air shows throughout the United States and Canada.

General Rush joined the South Carolina Air National Guard in 1985, initially serving as an instructor pilot. In 1989 he was a member of the overall Gunsmoke championship team. He has deployed on several contingency operations throughout the world where he has flown in support of Operation(s) Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Northern Watch, and Noble Eagle. General Rush has held several positions of responsibility in the South Carolina Air National Guard, including Chief of Weapons and Tactics, Squadron Operations Officer, Squadron Commander, Operations Group Commander, Vice Wing Commander and Air Commander for the South Carolina Air National Guard. From June- December 2006 General Rush served as Deputy Commander for U.S. Central Command's support to the Qatari Government during the 2006 Doha Asian Games, involving 45 participating Nations and over 14,000 athletes. In 2007, General Rush was selected as Assistant to the Commander, Air Forces Central Command at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. In 2008 and 2009, General Rush was Director of US Forces for Exercise Eagle Resolve, an annual, multinational exercise designed to enhance theatre air and missile defense by building regional cooperative defense efforts among the Gulf Cooperative Countries. In 2009, General Rush was designated by Central Command as lead for implementing the regional integrated air and missile defense initiative within the Central Command Area of Responsibility. He was responsible for developing and executing a plan to achieve and maintain multi-lateral agreements that enhance their common defense against regional air and missile threats.

EDUCATION:

1974 The Citadel, Bachelor of Science, Biology, Charleston, South Carolina
1997 Air War College by correspondence
2004 CAPSTONE, Washington, District of Columbia

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. December 1974 - December 1975, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Craig Air Force Base, Alabama
2. December 1975 - July 1976, Student, Operational Training Course, F-4C/D, George Air Force Base, California
3. July 1976 - November 1977, Aircraft Commander, F-4, Hill Air Force Base, Utah
4. November 1977 - January 1979, Aircraft Commander, F-4, Kunsan, South Korea
5. January 1979 - August 1979, Student, Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
6. August 1979 - April 1982, Instructor Pilot, F-4E, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia
7. April 1982 - June 1985, Weapons and Tactics Officer, F-16A, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina
8. June 1985 - March 1993, F-16 Pilot, 157th Fighter Squadron, McEntire Air National Guard Base, South Carolina
9. March 1993 - June 1996, Flight Commander, 157th Fighter Squadron, McEntire Air National Guard Base, South Carolina
10. June 1996 - October 1997, Operations Officer, 157th Fighter Squadron, McEntire Air National Guard Station, South Carolina
11. October 1997 - April 1999, Commander, 157th Fighter Squadron, McEntire Air National Guard Station, South Carolina
12. April 1999 - April 2000, Vice Commander, 169th Fighter Wing, McEntire Air National Guard Station, South Carolina
13. April 2000 - January 2004, Commander, 169th Operations Group, McEntire Air National Guard Station, South Carolina
14. January 2004 - November 2005, Chief of Staff, South Carolina Air National Guard, McEntire Air National Guard Station, South Carolina
15. November 2005 - February 2007, Assistant Adjutant General-Air, South Carolina also served as Commander, South Carolina Air National Guard, McEntire Air National Guard Station, South Carolina
16. March 2007 - Present, Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, 9th Air Force, United States Air Forces Central Command, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina

FLIGHT INFORMATION:

Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,200
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, F-4, F-16

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Air Medal (with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal (with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Air Force Achievement Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (with Valor and 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Combat Readiness Medal (with 1 Silver and 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
National Defense Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Award Ribbon (with 2 Bronze Service Stars)
Air Force Longevity Service Award (with 1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with 'M' Device)
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbons (with 1 Bronze Star)
Air Force Training Ribbon
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabian)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Emirate of Kuwait)
South Carolina Exceptional Service Medal
South Carolina Meritorious Service Medal
South Carolina Active Service Medal (15 Years)

CIVILIAN OCCUPATION:

Captain, US Airways

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:

Second Lieutenant 18 May 1974
First Lieutenant 12 December 1974
Captain 5 December 1978
Major 9 August 1986
Lieutenant Colonel 22 November 1991
Colonel 30 July 1999
Brigadier General 1 January 2004
Major General 1 March 2007

(Current as of March 2010)