Michael Carey (United States Air Force officer)

Michael J. Carey is a major general in the United States Air Force. On June 12, 2012, he assumed a dual command of the 20th Air Force (20 AF/CC) and Task Force (TF) 214, U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, which has effectively put him in charge of the U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) force of 450 nuclear missiles. In October 2013, he was reassigned as a special assistant to the commander of the U.S. Air Force Space Command Gen. William L. Shelton.

Career highlights
Carey enlisted in the Air Force in 1979. On April 29, 1983 he became a Second Lieutenant; on August 5, 1985 - First Lieutenant; on August 5, 1987 - Captain; on November 11, 1994 - Major; on January 1, 1998 - Lieutenant Colonel; on August 1, 2002 - Colonel; on November 14, 2008 - Brigadier General; and on November 2, 2011 he was promoted to Major General. His assignments included serving as Deputy Director, Global Operations, Global Operations Directorate, USSTRATCOM (March 2008 - August 2010); Chief, USSTRATCOM Forward Integration Team, Kabul, Afghanistan (June 2009 - August 2009); Deputy Director, Command, Control and Nuclear Operations (J3), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. (August 2010 - June 2012), among others.

Moscow incident
On July 14-18, 2013, Carey took part in the work of the Bilateral Presidential Commission, Military Cooperation Working Group during the two-day U.S.-Russian Federation Nuclear Security Exercise 2013 in Sergeiv Posad, Moscow, Russia. He headed the Department of Defense delegation, which consisted of three commissioned officers and five civilian personnel from DOD. In October 2013, Carey was relieved of his command of the 20th Air Force and Task Force (TF) 214 by Lieutenant General James Kowalski, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, after an examination of Carey's behavior in Moscow conducted by the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations. A delegation member representing the Office of the Secretary of Defense with a first-hand knowledge of the incident, whose name was not revealed, triggered the investigation by reporting it to the superiors. Later, she told the investigators, "I realized that this was putting us all at risk, especially Russia and women, and I just wanted nothing to do with that". The Washington Post wrote that Carey had drunk excessively and fraternized with foreign women during the visit. The New York Times claimed that Carey's behavior during the official meetings was not appropriate, including "interrupting speakers and correcting a Russian translator", and that he was over drinking during the visit, and once attempted to play with a restoraunt band. Under the Freedom of Information Act, American journalists filed a request and received a redacted copy of the official Report of Investigations Concerning Major General Michael J. Carey. The report revealed that Carey's behavior was considered by his colleagues as rude toward the Russian hosts during the exercise and related briefings, especially, when he made comments about Syria and Snowden.

As a reprimand, Carey was given a "letter of counseling". He was relieved of his duties and assigned as a special assistant to the commander of the U.S. Air Force Space Command Gen. William L. Shelton, who issued a statement: "This was an unfortunate incident, Major General Carey has otherwise served the nation extremely well".

Education
Michael J. Carey is a graduate of:
 * University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida (1982, Bachelor of Arts degree in history)
 * University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma (1988, Master of Public Administration degree)
 * Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island (2001, Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies, with distinction)

Awards

 * Defense Superior Service Medal
 * Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
 * Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
 * Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
 * Joint Service Commendation Medal
 * Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
 * Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
 * Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
 * Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster
 * National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
 * Afghanistan Campaign Medal with bronze star
 * Humanitarian Service Medal with bronze star
 * NATO Medal (ISAF Afghanistan)