General Kinnan was born in Tacoma, Wash. Kinnan was born in
Tacoma, Washington to the late Henry Wallace ("Wally") Kinnan,
and Marjorie Ahrendt. His father, Wally Kinnan, a pioneering
television meteorologist and early television personality, was
also a B-17 pilot during WWII and was shot down, spending
nearly two years as a POW in Stalag Luft III. While interned
Wally was a founding member of the Sagan Serenaders, a group
of musicians who were immortalized in the movie The Great
Escape for holding concerts to cover the sound of digging
associated with the escape attempt.
His fathers war-time and peace time service created in the
Generals a strong interest in the US Air Force. Getting both
the interest in flying and an interest in music from his
father he had to make a choice between the US Air Force
Academy and music school. Kinnan entered the US Air Force
Academy in 1966 receiving his commission in 1970.
He is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours,
primarily in the F-4, F-15 and F-16. As Commander of the 401st
Fighter Wing in Aviano, Italy, he led the beddown and support
of joint and combined airpower in NATO's Deny Flight Operation
over Bosnia and Herzegovina. As Commander of the 347th Wing,
he was responsible for the first operational deployment to
Southwest Asia under the Air Force's aerospace expeditionary
force concept. Other commands include an F-15 squadron, the
Air War College and lastly Air Force Doctrine Center and
Allied Air Forces Southern Europe, Stabilization Forces Air
Component and Kosovo Forces Air Component.
Prior to
assuming his last position, General Kinnan served as Vice
Director for Strategic Plans and Policy with the Joint Staff
in Washington, D.C., supporting the Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff in developing military strategy and policy
within the interagency process in Washington.
EDUCATION
1970 Bachelor of Science degree in
astronautical and aeronautical engineering, U.S. Air Force
Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1971 Master of Science
degree in astronautical and aeronautical engineering, Purdue
University, West Lafayette, Ind.
1974 Distinguished
graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base,
Ala.
1976 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
1981 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
1990
Distinguished graduate, National War College, Fort Lesley J.
McNair, Washington, D.C.
1995 Joint Force Air Component
Commander Course
1997 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1970 - January 1971,
student, Air Force Institute of Technology Civilian
Institutions Program, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
2. February 1971 - February 1972, student, Undergraduate
Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
3. February 1972 -
November 1972, student, F-4 Combat Crew Training, George AFB,
Calif.
4. December 1972 - August 1976, F-4D pilot, 78th
Tactical Fighter Squadron, Royal Air Force Woodbridge,
England, and flight examiner, 81st Tactical Fighter Wing,
Royal Air Force Bentwaters, England
5. August 1976 - July
1978, weapons and tactics officer, 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing,
Clark Air Base, Philippines
6. July 1978 - January 1981,
fighter weapons instructor, flight commander, later and
assistant operations officer, 414th Fighter Weapons Squadron,
Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. January 1981 - June 1981, student,
Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
8. June 1981 -
June 1983, Air Staff action officer, Directorate of Programs
and Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
9. June 1983 - April 1984, executive officer to the Vice
Commander, Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, Va.
10.
April 1984 - February 1985, operations officer, 94th Tactical
Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
11. February 1985 - February 1987,
Commander, 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, McChord AFB,
Wash.
12. February 1987 -
July 1989, Director of Operations, 475th Weapons Evaluation
Group, and Deputy Commander for Operations, 325th Tactical
Training Wing, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
13. July 1989 - June
1990, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair,
Washington, D.C.
14. June 1990 - June 1992, Executive
Officer to the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters Allied
Powers Europe, Mons, Belgium
15. June 1992 - August 1993,
Commander, 401st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy
16.
August 1993 - August 1994, Military Assistant to the Secretary
of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.
17. August 1994 - April
1996, Commander, 347th Wing, Moody AFB, Ga.
18. April 1996
- August 1997, Deputy Commander, Headquarters 5th Allied
Tactical Air Force, NATO, Vicenza, Italy
19. August 1997 -
September 1998, Commandant, Air War College, and Vice
Commander, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
20. September
1998 - December 1999, Commander, Air Force Doctrine Center,
Maxwell AFB, Ala.
21. January 2000 - June 2001, Vice
Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, the Joint Staff,
Washington, D.C.
22. July 2001 - present, U.S. Military
Representative to the NATO Military Committee, NATO
Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,000
Aircraft flown: F-4, F-15, and F-16
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
with oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak
leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf
clusters
Air Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 3, 1970
First Lieutenant Dec. 3, 1971
Captain Dec. 3, 1973
Major
Sept. 1, 1979
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 1982
Colonel
April 1, 1988
Brigadier General July 15, 1994
Major
General Oct. 1, 1996
Lieutenant General Sept. 1, 2001
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