Sharon K.G. Dunbar

Sharon K.G. Dunbar

Major General Sharon K.G. Dunbar
Allegiance United States United States
Service/branch  United States Air Force
Years of service 1982 to 2014
Rank Major General
Commands held
Awards

Major General Sharon K.G. (Kim Greiman) Dunbar is a retired United States Air Force general officer who last served as Commanding General of the Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) and Commander of the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing, both headquartered at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

Military career

AFDW is the Air Force component to the Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region. Dunbar was the first female to command either organization. In this high visibility dual-command position, Dunbar oversaw Air Force operations in the National Capital Region with specific responsibilities for organizing, training and equipping combat forces for aero-space expeditionary operations, homeland security response, disaster relief and civil support operations, national special security events, and major ceremonial events such as the 57th Presidential Inauguration in 2013. In addition, she provided major command-level support for 60,000 military and civilian personnel assigned worldwide and was the Uniform Code of Military Justice authority for 40,000 Airmen.[1]

The highest ranking Air Force officer of Korean descent, Dunbar was commissioned in 1982 upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy and graduated with distinction from the National War College in Washington, D.C. Her military career uniquely encompassed a series of procurement, manpower, political-military and command positions. As a Major, she was chosen to be the Air Force's first congressional fellow and was assigned to serve in the U.S. Senate for Senator Dan Coats (R-IN), Chairman of the Air/Land Forces and Personnel Subcommittees on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a respected bi-partisan voice on defense and acquisition reform. Coats assigned Dunbar to architect the pivotal legislative initiative in 1996 known as the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). She then served as the military assistant to the Honorable Rudy de Leon and went on to command a mission support squadron, Air Force Basic Military Training, and the 75th Air Base Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah where she also served as the installation commander. In addition to these military assignments, Dunbar was appointed by the Secretary of Defense to serve on two separate congressionally-mandated Task Forces convened to address sexual assault and harassment in the military services[2] and their respective military service academies.[3] She was later appointed by the Secretary of the Air Force to direct the Air Force Follow-On Review[4] in response to the 2009 Fort Hood shooting as well as to lead the Air Force's repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2011.

Personal life

Dunbar and her brother were born in the Chicago area and raised in the twin cities of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois by patriotic American parents who were proud immigrants from Korea (mother) and Germany (father). Immediately upon graduating from high school, her brother attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and she was accepted into the third class of females to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Dunbar and her husband met during their first year at the Air Force Academy and married shortly after their graduation. They have two children. Dunbar retired from the Air Force after 32 years of service on December 1, 2014 and currently works for General Dynamics. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital, Armed Services YMCA and Be The Change, Inc. She was a Global Ambassador with Vital Voices, is a Trustee with Union Institute and University, and was appointed by the Secretary of Defense in 2016 to serve on DACOWITS. Dunbar completed her doctoral studies in Public Policy at The George Washington University and received an honorary doctorate from Union Institute and University.

Education

Assignments

  1. July 1982 - November 1984, contract specialist, Detachment 32, Hughes Aircraft Company, El Segundo, California
  2. December 1984 - August 1988, acquisition contracting officer and Chief, Contract Administration Branch, 832nd Air Division, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona
  3. August 1988 - December 1991, Deputy Commander, Detachment 4, United Kingdom Contracting Region, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England
  4. December 1991 - June 1993, Chief, Operational Contracting Office, 323rd Flying Training Wing, Mather Air Force Base, California
  5. June 1993 - June 1994, congressional liaison officer, Office of Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, D.C.
  6. June 1994 - January 1996, Chief, Acquisition and Policy Legislation Branch, Office of Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, D.C.
  7. January 1996 - December 1996, Congressional Fellow, U.S. Senate, D.C.
  8. January 1997 - August 1997, military assistant to the Under Secretary of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, D.C.
  9. August 1997 - August 1999, military assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, D.C.
  10. August 1999 - June 2000, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, D.C.
  11. July 2000 - July 2001, Commander, 97th Mission Support Squadron, 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma
  12. July 2001 - July 2002, Deputy Commander, 97th Support Group, 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus AFB, Oklahoma
  13. July 2002 - July 2004, Commander, 737th Training Group, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
  14. July 2004 - February 2006, Commander, 75th Air Base Wing, and Installation Commander, Hill Air Force Base, Utah
  15. February 2006 - January 2008, Director of Manpower and Personnel, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
  16. January 2008 - November 2009, Director of Manpower, Organization and Resources, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, D.C.
  17. November 2009 - July 2012, Director of Force Management Policy, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, D.C.
  18. July 2012 – July 2014, Commander, Air Force District of Washington and Commander, 320th Air Expeditionary Wing, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland
Joint Assignments
  1. August 1997 - August 1999, military assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
  2. September 2004 - June 2005, member, Defense Task Force on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, D.C., as a colonel
  3. August 2008 - December 2009, member, Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, D.C., as a brigadier general
  4. February 2010 - June 2011, member, Reserve Forces Policy Board, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, D.C., as a brigadier general and major general

Military Awards and Decorations

References

  1. ↑ "Major General Sharon K. G. Dunbar". United States Air Force. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  2. ↑ "The Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "The Defense Task Force on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies" (PDF).
  4. ↑ "Air Force Follow On Review: Protecting the Force, Lessons from Fort Hood".


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