Maj. Gen. Richard E. Perraut, Jr. is the Vice Commander, Thirteenth Air Force, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. 

General Perraut exercises command over assigned and attached forces to include the 613th Air and Space Operations Center, Air Force Forces staff and 613th Support Group, ensuring continuous command and control of air, space and information operations within the United States Pacific Command's area of responsibility, excluding the Korea Theater of Operations. On orders, he serves as the Commander, Air Force Forces; Joint Task Force Commander; or Joint Forces Air Component Commander in support of Joint Task Forces. When designated, General Perraut acts as the execution authority on behalf of Commander, Pacific Air Forces as the executive agent for joint search and rescue operations in the Pacific area of operations and serves as Area Air Defense Commander for Hawaii and Guam Air Defense Regions within the designated area of responsibility. 

Headquarters 13th Air Force provides oversight and direction to two Air Force wings, the 15th Airlift Wing at Hickam AFB and the 36th Wing at Andersen AFB, Guam. It is also home to the George C. Kenney Headquarters, consisting of one of the Air Force's five fully-capable Falconer air operations centers, a support group and Air Force Forces staff responsible for planning, tasking, execution, monitoring and assessment of air and space operations. The 13th Air Force provides the commanders of U.S. Pacific Air Forces and U.S. Pacific Command continuous combat capability and a standing organization tasked to immediately execute operations in support of theater and national objectives. 

General Perraut, a native of Cynthiana, Ky., was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1977 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering mechanics. He has served in a variety of operational, staff and command positions, from serving on the Air Staff and the Joint Staff to commanding a flying squadron, a support group, an air base wing and an expeditionary mobility task force. General Perraut has also been deployed as the Director of Mobility Forces in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, as well as various operations throughout the Horn of Africa. He also served as the Director of Mobility Forces for Combined Forces Command, South Korea. Prior to his current assignment, General Perraut was the Director of Plans, Requirements and Programs (A5/8), Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas.

EDUCATION
1977 Bachelor of Science degree in engineering mechanics, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1982 Squadron Officer School
1983 Master of Science degree in industry and technology, East Texas State University, Fort Worth
1984 Air Command and Staff College
1989 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
1994 Air War College
1994 Distinguished graduate, Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2004 U.S. Navy Executive Development Course, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2005 Program for Senior Managers in Government, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1977 - August 1978, student, undergraduate navigator training and navigator-bombardier training, Mather AFB, Calif.
2. September 1978 - December 1983, B-52D/H navigator, instructor navigator, senior standardization/evaluation instructor navigator, student radar navigator, radar navigator, and instructor radar navigator, Carswell AFB, Texas
3. December 1983 - January 1985, Air Staff training officer, Comptroller of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
4. January 1985 - August 1988, radar navigator, wing executive officer, instructor radar navigator, training flight navigator section chief, B-52H standardization and evaluation branch chief, Minot AFB, N.D.
5. August 1988 - January 1989, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
6. January 1989 - May 1991, Chief, Aircraft Programs, Strategic Forces Division, Air Force Programs and Resources, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
7. May 1991 - August 1993, Defense Resources Manager, Program and Budget Analysis Division, and executive officer to the Director, Force Structure, Resources and Assessment Directorate (J8), the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.
8. August 1993 - June 1994, student, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
9. June 1994 - May 1995, Commander, 50th Airmanship Training Squadron, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
10. May 1995 - June 1996, Deputy Commander, 34th Training Group, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
11. June 1996 - July 1998, Commander, 15th Support Group, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
12. August 1998 - September 1998, special assistant to the Commander, Air Force Test and Development Center, Eglin AFB, Fla.
13. October 1998 - August 2000, Commander, 96th Air Base Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla.
14. August 2000 - April 2001, Chief, Combat Support and Analysis Division, Air Force Plans and Programs, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
15. May 2001 - July 2002, Chief, Program Integration Division, Air Force Plans and Programs, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
16. July 2002 - September 2003, Vice Commander, 15th Air Force, Travis AFB, Calif.
17. October 2003 - October 2004, Commander, 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, Travis AFB, Calif. (January 2004 - May 2004, Director of Mobility Forces, USCENTCOM Combined Air Operations Center, Southwest Asia)
18. November 2004 - February 2006, Director of Plans and Programs, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas
19. February 2006 - March 2007, Director of Plans, Requirements and Programs, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas
20. March 2007 - Present, Vice Commander, 13th Air Force, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Master navigator
Flight hours: More than 3,200
Aircraft Flown: B-52D/H, C-130 and T-43A


MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal with two bronze stars
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1978 Outstanding Navigator-Bombardier Training Simulator Training Award
1978 Outstanding Navigator-Bombardier Training Student Award (distinguished graduate)
1983 Outstanding Bomber Crew of the Year, 7th Bombardment Wing
1999 General and Mrs. Jerome F. O'Malley Award for Outstanding Wing Commander-Spouse Team, Air Force Materiel Command
1999 President's Award, Chamber of Commerce, Niceville, Fla.
2000 Military Leader of the Year Award, Chamber of Commerce, Crestview, Fla.
2006 Eugene M. Zuckert Management Award, Air Education and Training Command

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 1, 1977
First Lieutenant June 1, 1979
Captain June 1, 1981
Major March 1, 1988
Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 1992
Colonel Oct. 1, 1996
Brigadier General Aug. 1, 2003
Major General Nov. 24, 2006

(Current as of March 2007)