General (Retired) Udo “Karl” McGregor

General Udo Karl McGregor

Brig. Gen. Udo K. “Karl” McGregor is the Vice Commander, Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, Norfolk, Virginia. As Vice Commander he is charged with the readiness, training and deployment of the joint enabling capabilities provided by the Joint Planning Support Element, Joint Public Affairs Support Element and Joint Communications Support Element.

He is a native of Savannah, Georgia, and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in February 1976. His first assignment was as a CH-3 helicopter mechanic at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, and later worked as a helicopter flight engineer on that same weapons system. He completed his active duty tour in 1980 as a buck sergeant and enlisted in the Air Force Reserve as a flight engineer assigned to Charleston AFB, South Carolina, on the C-141A/B, then Kelly AFB, Texas, on the C-130B and C-5A completing his enlistments as a technical sergeant.

In 1985 he was selected for commissioning and pilot training. He earned his commission from Officer Training School as the First Honor Graduate and completed Undergraduate Pilot Training with a fighter/attack/recon rating. He was a C-5A Instructor Pilot as a first lieutenant and was activated for Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He twice represented Kelly Air Force Base as the Airlift Rodeo Aircraft Commander. He was assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command Headquarters in 1997 to help stand up the Current Operations Air Operations Branch and transitioned to the C-17A. In 1999, he was stationed at Andrews AFB, Maryland, as the C-141B/C Operations Officer.

He attended the Naval War College in 2002, followed by reassignment as the Operations Group Commander at Westover ARB, Massachusetts, flying the C-5A/B. He deployed to Southwest Asia in 2004 supporting operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, flying C-130 combat and combat support missions into Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2007, he was assigned as the Wing Commander at Youngstown ARS, Ohio, flying the C-130H followed by an assignment as the Wing Commander at March ARB, California, where he was senior officer qualified in both the C-17A and KC-135R wing assigned aircraft. During his assignment at March ARB, he was deployed and served as the Deputy United States Forces-Afghanistan and Assistant Deputy Commander Air-Afghanistan stationed in Kabul. From 2012 to 2014, he served as the Deputy Director, Strategic Planning for the Headquarters Air Force at the Pentagon.  He is currently assigned as the Vice Commander of the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command.  During his current assignment he deployed to Al Udeid AB as the AFCENT Director of Mobility Forces. He is a command pilot, having flown more than 11,600 hours in CH/HH-3, C-141A/B/C, C-5A/B, C-130E/H, KC-135R and C-17A aircraft.

EDUCATION
1980 Associate’s, Aircraft Maintenance Technology, Community College of the Air Force
1985 Associate’s, Flight Engineering, Community College of the Air Force
1984 Bachelor’s degree, University of Texas
1985 Officer Training School, Lackland AFB, Texas
1986 Undergraduate Pilot Training , Laughlin AFB, Texas
1994 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1996 Master’s degree, Webster University, St Louis, Mo.
1999 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2002 Stage Operations Officer Course, McDill AFB, Fla.
2003 Master’s degree, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2003 Senior Service School, Naval War College, Newport, R.I
2004 Maintenance Course for Operational Commanders, Sheppard AFB, Texas
2004 Total Air Force Operations and Law Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Reserve Component National Security Course, Washington D.C.
2008 COMMAFOR Senior Staff Course, U.S Air Force Expeditionary Center, N.J.
2008 Director Mobility Forces Course, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, N.J.
2009 Joint Forces Reserve Orientation Course, Norfolk, Va.
2010 Harvard Senior Executive Fellow, Cambridge, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1976 – October 1976, Basic Military Training, Lackland AFB, Texas
2. October 1976 – December 1976, Basic Helicopter Mechanic Technical Training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
3. December 1976 – August 1980, Helicopter Mechanic and Helicopter Flight Engineer, Shaw AFB, S.C.
4. August 1980 – October 1981, C-141A/B Flight Engineer, Charleston AFB, S.C.
5. October 1981 – June 1985, C-130B Flight Engineer, Kelly AFB, Texas
6. June 1985 – August 1985, C-5A Flight Engineer, Kelly AFB, Texas
7. August 1985 – October 1985, Officer Training School, Medina Annex, Texas
8. October 1985 – August 1986, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
9. August 1986 – June 1993, C-5 Pilot/C-5 Instructor Pilot, Kelly AFB, Texas (activated 1990-1991 OPERATION Desert Shield and Desert Storm)
10. July 1993 – January 1997, Current Operations, 433rd Operations Support Squadron, Kelly AFB, Texas
11. January 1997 – April 1999, Strategic Airlift Operations, Headquarters AFRC, Robins AFB, Ga.
12. April 1999 – July 2002, Operations Officer, 756th Airlift Squadron, Andrews AFB, Md.
13. July 2002 – July 2003, Senior Service School, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
14. July 2003 – October 2003, Special Assistant to 439th Airlift Wing Commander, Westover ARB, Mass.
15. October 2003 – July 2007, Commander, 439th Operations Group, Westover ARB, Mass.
16. June 2004 – August 2004, Operations Group Commander, 386th Expeditionary Operations Group, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait
17. July 2007 – March 2010, Wing Commander, 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown ARS, Ohio
18. March 2010 – July 2012, Wing Commander, 452nd Air Mobility Wing, March ARB, California
19. August 2011 – February 2012, Deputy United States Forces-Afghanistan and Assistant Deputy Commander Air-Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan

20. July 2012 – August 2014, Headquarters Air Force Deputy Director of Strategic Planning, the Pentagon,

Washington, D.C.

21. July 2015 – January 2016, Air Force Central Command Director of Mobility Forces, Al Udeid AB, Qatar

22. September 2014 – September 2017, Vice Commander, Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, Norfolk, Va.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS 
1. August 2011 – February 2012, Deputy United States Forces-Afghanistan, Kabul Afghanistan and Assistant Deputy Commander Air-Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan., as a colonel and a brigadier general
2. September 2014 – September 2017, Vice Commander, Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, Norfolk, Va., as a brigadier general

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command Pilot
Flight hours: more than 11,600
Aircraft flown: CH-3, HH-3, T-37, T-38, C-141A/B/C, C-130B/H, C-17, C-5A/B, KC-135R

MILITARY AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor and three oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal with three bronze service stars
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with oak leaf cluster
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal with two service stars
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold border and three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with eight oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with three ‘M’ devices and silver hour glass
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon with oak leaf cluster
NATO Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (government of Kuwait)

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONS
Second Lieutenant Aug. 21, 1985
First Lieutenant Sept. 14, 1987
Captain Aug. 9, 1990
Major Aug. 12, 1997
Lieutenant Colonel Sept. 13, 2001
Colonel Feb. 17, 2005
Brigadier General Feb. 17, 2012