Margaret H. Woodward

Margaret Woodward
Born	1960
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1982–present
Rank	Major General
Commands held	17th Air Force 89th Airlift Wing
Battles/wars	US invasion of Panama Operation Allied Force Operation Northern Watch Operation Southern Watch Operation Enduring Freedom Iraq War Operation Odyssey Dawn

Margaret H. Woodward (born 1960) is a major general of the US Air Force.

As commander of the 17th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, she is responsible for all US air actions that involve Africa.^[1] In March 2011, she commanded the air component of the US contribution to the no-fly zone over Libya, sanctioned by the United Nations, making her the first woman to oversee a US combat air campaign.^[2]

Biography

Woodward was born in 1960 and grew up in India and Pakistan, where her father worked for the United States Agency for International Development.^[3] She left the region when she was about ten years old.^[3] In 1982, she graduated from the Arizona State University and joined the US Air Force the year after.^[1][3] For most of her career she flew aerial refueling aircraft such as the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker,^[3] though she also has experience in the Boeing C-40 Clipper, the C-37 military version of the Gulfstream G550, and the T-37 and T-38 trainers.^[1] She was involved the US invasion of Panama, Operation Allied Force, Operations Northern and Southern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom and missions during the Iraq War.^[1][3]

In 2007, she became commander of the 89th Airlift Wing, which includes responsibility for Air Force One, and in June 2010 became commander of the Seventeenth Air Force, the Air Force branch of the United States Africa Command.^[1][3] As such, she was the operational commander for the US involvement in the 2011 Libyan no-fly zone, dubbed Operation Odyssey Dawn,^[3] before command of the whole operation was transferred to NATO.

Education

• 1982: Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering at the Arizona State University, Tempe^[1]
• 1995: Air Command and Staff College, Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base^[1]
• 1997: Master's degree in aviation science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.^[1]
• 2001: Master's degree in national security strategy, National War College in Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.^[1]

Promotions

List of promotions Woodward has received during her career:^[1]

Promotions

Major General	2011
Brigadier General	2008
Colonel	2002
Lieutenant Colonel	1998
Major	1994
Captain	1986
First Lieutenant	1984
Second Lieutenant	1982

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} "MAJOR GENERAL MARGARET H. WOODWARD". US Air Force. Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5yA4B65YT. Retrieved 23 April 2011. 
2. ^ "Woodward First Woman to Command U.S. Air Attack in Libya ‘No-Fly’ Mission". Bloomberg. 29 March 2011. Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5yA6D7eXC. Retrieved 23 April 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Thompson, Mark (April 2011). "Air Boss". Time Magazine (April 18): 28. 

External links

• US hands command of Libya air strategy to senior female officer (The Guardian)
• The new face of war: A female general commands the U.S. air campaign. (The Best Defense | Foreign Policy)
• Photo from Reuters Pictures (daylife.com)

Persondata
Name	Woodward, Margaret H.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1960
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death