DOD Press Chief, Fighter PEO, and 21 More Selected for 2-Star General

Nearly two dozen Air Force brigadier generals have been selected for a second star, the Department of Defense announced March 22—including Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder and Brig. Gen. Dale R. White, who oversees Air Force acquisition of fighters and advanced aircraft. The selections must be confirmed by the Senate to become official. 

Ryder follows in the footsteps of the last—and only other—uniformed Pentagon press secretary, Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, who pinned on his second star shortly after taking on the job in late 2013. 

Kirby later returned to the Pentagon as a civilian, and it was Ryder who succeeded him in August 2022. Ryder previously served as the Air Force’s director of public affairs. His predecessor in that role, Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, also a public affairs officer, also earned a second star, but it is rare for PAOs to attain two-star status. 

White, the program executive officer and director of fighters and advanced aircraft for Air Force Materiel Command, played a key role in developing the Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems, which will include a sixth-generation fighter, and Collaborative Combat Aircraft, autonomous drones that will team with manned fighters. 

Other notable selections include Brig. Gen. Paul D. Moga, commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy, and Brig. Gen. Michael T. Rawls, commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center—both men are slated to receive their second star. 

  • Brig. Gen. Curtis R. Bass, vice commander of the U.S. Warfare Center, Air Combat Command, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. 
  • Brig. Gen. Kenyon K. Bell, director of logistics and engineering, Headquarters Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, La. 
  • Brig. Gen. Charles D. Bolton, chief of the Global Operations Center, Headquarters U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. 
  • Brig. Gen. Larry R. Broadwell Jr., deputy director of operations, Operations Team-5, National Joint Operations and Intelligence Center, J-3, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 
  • Brig. Gen. Scott A. Cain, director of Air, Space and Cyberspace Operations, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.   
  • Brig. Gen. Sean M. Choquette, vice commander of the 12th Air Force, Air Combat Command, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.  
  • Brig. Gen. Roy W. Collins, director of security forces, Deputy Chief of Staff, Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 
  • Brig. Gen. John R. Edwards, director of strategic capabilities policy for the National Security Council, Washington, D.C.   
  • Brig. Gen. Jason T. Hinds, director of plans, programs, and analyses, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces Europe—Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.   
  • Brig. Gen. Justin R. Hoffman, director of strategic plans, programs, and requirements, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.  
  • Brig. Gen. Stacy J. Huser, principal assistant deputy administrator for military application, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 
  • Brig. Gen. Matteo G. Martemucci, director of intelligence, J2, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort George G. Meade, Md. 
  • Brig. Gen. David A. Mineau, vice commander of the 15th Air Force, Air Combat Command, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. 
  • Brig. Gen. Paul D. Moga, commandants of Cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 
  • Brig. Gen. Ty W. Neuman, director of concepts and strategy, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy, Integration, and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 
  • Brig. Gen. Christopher J. Niemi, director of strategic plans, requirements, and programs, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. 
  • Brig. Gen. Brandon D. Parker, chief of staff for Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. 
  • Brig. Gen. Michael T. Rawls, commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. 
  • Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, press secretary, Department of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 
  • Brig. Gen. David G. Shoemaker, deputy director of operations, J-3, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii.  
  • Brig. Gen. Rebecca J. Sonkiss, commander of the 618th Air Operations Center, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. 
  • Brig. Gen. Claude K. Tudor Jr., commanding general of the Special Operations Joint Task Force—Levant, U.S. Special Operations Command, Xiphos, Jordan. 
  • Brig. Gen. Dale R. White, program executive officer and director of fighters and advanced aircraft, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.