The first military person to be "officially" responsible for dealing
with news media was then Major Douglas MacArthur who, in 1916, was
made Chief, Bureau of Information while serving as a junior member of
the Army General Staff. It was an "additional duty." Other famous
officers -- like Air Force General "Hap" Arnold, pictured above --
also had "Information/public relations" assignments at some point in
their careers.
Listed below are those who have held the primary "public relations"
job for the U.S. Air Force and its' predecessors beginning in 1918
with the establishment of the Division of Miltary Aeronautics.
The list shows the individual's rank when assigned to the
"Information/public relations" position. Asterisks indicate the
subsequent rank attained. (* = Brig Gen, ** = Maj Gen, etc.) An "(OH)"
indicates a clickable link to that person's Oral History while "(BIO)"
indicates a clickable link to that person's official USAF Biography.
Major John A. Drexel
July 1918 - December 1918
Major John A. Drexel
December 1918 - January 1919
Major Horace M. Hickam
January 1919 - January 1921
Major Horace M. Hickam
January 1921 - January 1923
Unknown
January 1923 - February 1925
Major Henry "Hap" Arnold (BIO) *****
February 1925 - March 1926
Major Hubert R. Harmon (BIO) ***
March 1926 - February 1927
Major Robert L. Walsh (BIO) **
February 1927 - July 1927
Captain Burdette S. Wright
July 1927 - December 1928
Major Ira Lonanecker
December 1928 - December 1931
Unknown
December 1931 - June 1933
Lt. Col. Walter R. Weaver (BIO) **
June 1933 - September 1934
Lt. Col. John D. Reardon
September 1934 - July 1936
Colonel Harrison H.C. Richards
July 1936 - June 1937
Lt. Col. Ira. C. Eaker (BIO) ****
June 1937 - September 1939
Colonel Robert Candee (BIO) *
September 1939 - November 1940
Colonel Robert C. Candee (BIO) *
November 1940 - July 1941
Lt. Col. James G. Taylor
July 1941 - September 1941
Lt. Col. Arthur I. Ennis
September 1941 - June 1942
Lt. Col. Arthur I. Ennis
June 1942 - July 1942
Lt. Col. Arthur I. Ennis
July 1942 - September 1942
Lt. Col. Arthur I. Ennis
September 1942 - December 1942
Colonel William C. Nuckols (BIO) *
December 1942 - July 1943
Colonel William Westlake
January 1943 - December 1945
Lt. Col. Charles E. Root
December 1945 - April 1946
Lt. Gen. Harold L. George (BIO)
March 1946 - August 1946
Maj. Gen. Emmett O'Donnell (BIO) ****
August 1946 - September 1947
Mr. Stephen F. Leo
September 1947 - January 1948
Brig. Gen. William C. Nuckols (BIO)
Jan 1948 - May 1949
Maj. Gen. Sory Smith (BIO)
May 1949 - July 1954
Maj. Gen. Brooke E. Allen (BIO)
July 1954 - April 1955
Brig. Gen. Robert L. Scott, Jr.
April 1955 - August 1956
Maj. Gen. Andrew J. Kinney (BIO)
August 1956 - June 1957
Maj. Gen. Arno H. Luehman (BIO)
June 1957 - June 1962
Maj. Gen. William K. Martin (BIO) ***
June 1962 - January 1964
Maj. Gen. Eugene B. LeBailly (BIO) ***
January 1964 - June 1967
Maj. Gen. William C. Garland (BIO)
June 1967 - August 1969
Maj. Gen. H.L. Hogan III (OH)
July 1969 - April 1972
Maj. Gen. Robert N. Ginsburgh (BIO)
April 1972 - June 1974
Maj. Gen. Guy E. Hairston (BIO)
June 1974 - November 1975
Brig. Gen. H. J. Dalton, Jr. (OH)
December 1975 - August 1980
Brig. Gen. Richard F. Abel (OH)
August 1980 - March 1985
Brig. Gen. Michael P. McRaney (OH)
March 1985 - September 1989
Brig. Gen. H. E. Robertson (OH)
October 1989 - May 1992
Maj. Gen. Jay W. Kelley (BIO) ***
May 1992 - October 1992
Brig. Gen. Walter S. Hogle Jr. (BIO) ***
November 1992 - June 1994
Brig. Gen. Ronald T. Sconyers (BIO)
June 1994 - February 1998
Brig. Gen. Ronald T. Rand (OH)
February 1998 - December 2003
Brig. Gen. Frederick Roggero (BIO)**
December 2003 - November 2005
Brig. Gen. Michelle Johnson (BIO) ***
November 2005 - November 2007
Maj. Gen. Darren W. McDew (BIO) ****
November 2007 - February 2009
Colonel Michael G. Caldwell
February 2009 - May 2009
Brig. Gen. Les A. Kodlick (BIO)
May 2009 - February 2014
Brig. Gen. Kathleen A. Cook (BIO)
February 2014 - June 2016
Brig. Gen. Edward Thomas Jr. (BIO)**
June 2016 - May 2020
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder (BIO)**
May 2020 - August 2022
Mr. Jerry Renne (BIO)
August 2022 - Present