Richard C. Johnston
Richard C. Johnston is a major general in the United States Air Force.

Career

Johnston is a native Cloquet, Minnesota and grew up in Cloquet. His first flying lessons was with acquaintance of him at the Cloquet Airport.

Johnston was commissioned an officer in 1982. He was given command of the 317th Airlift Group and the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing during the Iraq War before being assigned to the United States Transportation Command in 2004. Later he was given command of the 86th Airlift Wing. Johnston received his first star in 2007 where he was assigned as the Director for Plans, Programs and Analyses for U.S. Air Forces in Europe at its Headquarters in Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany and was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.

In 2009 he was assigned to Air Force Headquarters at The Pentagon as Director for Air Force Strategic Planning and Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs. In 2010 Johnston was promoted to the rank of Major General and received his second stars. In 2011 he was reassigned at Air Force Headquarters in The Pentagon as Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs.

Awards he has received include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Outstanding Unit Award with valor device and two silver oak leaf clusters, the Combat Readiness Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with two service stars, the Kosovo Campaign Medal, and the Humanitarian Service Medal.

Major General Richard C. Johnston retired from active-duty within the Air Force in 2014 following 33 years of service within the United States Air Force. Following its retirement Johnston has been working at Lockheed-Martin as Director of International Business Development.

Education
B.A., Criminal Justice – University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Graduate – Squadron Officer School
M.S., Operational Research and Business Management – University of Arkansas
Graduate – United States Army Command and General Staff College
Graduate – Air War College
M.S., National Security Strategy – National War College
Graduate, Black Sea Security Program – John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Graduate, Program for Senior Managers in Government – John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University

Assignments 
1. October 1981 - October 1982, student, undergraduate pilot training, Vance AFB, Okla. 

2. October 1982 - February 1983, C-130 pilot training, Little Rock AFB, Ark. 

3 February 1983 - June 1985, aircraft commander, 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, Andersen AFB, Guam 

4 June 1985 - June 1991, instructor pilot and evaluator pilot, 50th Tactical Airlift Squadron; assistant chief, Standardization and Evaluation, 314th Tactical Airlift Group; and executive officer, 314th Tactical Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB, Ark. 

5. June 1991 - June 1993, Chief of Tactical Airlift Assignments and Chief of Rated Officer Assignments, Directorate of Personnel, Headquarters Military Airlift Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 

6. June 1993 - June 1994, student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan. 

7. June 1994 - June 1997, Chief of Mobility Forces Programming Branch, and later executive officer for the Director of Forces and then Director of Joint Matters, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 

8. June 1997 - February 2000, operations officer then Commander, 2nd Air Refueling Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J. 

9. February 2000 - August 2001, Chief, Senior Officer Management Division, Directorate of Personnel, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 

10. August 2001 - June 2002, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 

11. July 2002 - March 2004, Commander, 317th Airlift Group, Dyess AFB, Texas (November 2002 - June 2003, Commander, 320th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia) 

12. March 2004 - August 2004, Deputy Director of Operations, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 

13. August 2004 - September 2005, executive officer to the Commander, USTRANSCOM, and to the Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 

14. September 2005 - March 2006, executive officer to the Commander, USTRANSCOM, Scott AFB, Ill. 

15. April 2006 - December 2007, Commander, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein AB, and Commander, Kaiserslautern Military Community, Germany

16. December 2007 - September 2009, Director, Plans, Programs and Analyses, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany

17. September 2009 - September 2011, Director, Air Force Strategic Planning, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

18. September 2011 – 2014 present, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.

Summary of Joint Assignment 

1. March 2004 - August 2004, Deputy Director of Operations, USTRANSCOM, Scott AFB, Ill., as a colonel

2. August 2004 - September 2005, executive officer to the Commander, USTRANSCOM, and to the Commander, Air Mobility  Command, Scott AFB, Ill., as a colonel 

3. September 2005 - March 2006, executive officer to the Commander, USTRANSCOM, Scott AFB, Ill., as a colonel

Flight Information 
Rating: Command pilot 

Flight hours: More than 4,300 hours 

Aircraft flown: C-130E/H/J, C-21A, C-37A, C-40B, KC-10A, and WC-130E/H

Awards and decorations

Effective dates of promotion

References

Living people
United States Air Force generals
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Air Medal
United States Air Force personnel of the Gulf War
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alumni
University of Arkansas alumni
Harvard Kennedy School alumni
National War College alumni
Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal
1957 births