Sharon K.G. Dunbar

Major General Sharon K. G. Dunbar is an United States Air Force officer who serves in a dual capacity as Commander of the Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) and Commander of the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing, headquartered at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. She is the first female to command either organization. AFDW is the Air Force component to the Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region. In this capacity, Dunbar is responsible for organizing, training and equipping combat forces for aerospace expeditionary forces, homeland operations, civil support, national special security events, and ceremonial events. Dunbar also provides major command-level support for 60,000 military and civilian personnel assigned worldwide. As commander, she is the Uniform Code of Military Justice authority for 40,000 Airmen.

The highest ranking Air Force officer of Korean descent, Dunbar was commissioned in 1982 upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy and is a distinguished graduate from the National War College in Washington, D.C. She was also selected to serve as the Air Force's first congressional fellow assigned to the U.S. Senate. Dunbar has served in a variety of procurement-acquisition, political-military, and manpower-personnel positions. Her previous commands include a mission support squadron, Air Force Basic Military Training, and an air base wing.

Education

 * 1982 Bachelor of Science degree in management, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
 * 1984 Master's degree in business administration, California State University, Long Beach, California
 * 1985 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
 * 1993 Kellogg National Fellowship Program, Battle Creek, Michigan
 * 1994 Air Command and Staff College, by seminar
 * 1996 Legislative Fellowship Program, Brookings Institution, D.C.
 * 1998 Advanced Program Managers Course, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Virginia
 * 1999 Seminar XXI Foreign Politics, International Relations and the National Interest, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
 * 2000 Master's degree in national security studies, Distinguished Graduate, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, D.C.
 * 2005 Senior Executive Fellows Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
 * 2009 Challenges in Global Leadership, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, England
 * 2009 Program for Senior Managers in Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

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 – present, 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

 * Defense Superior Service Medal
 * Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
 * Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
 * Air Force Commendation Medal
 * Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
 * Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters
 * Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster
 * Air Force Recognition Ribbon
 * National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
 * Global War on Terrorism Service Medal