Mark Welsh

Mark Anthony Welsh III (born January 26, 1953) is the interim president of Texas A&M University, former Dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and a retired United States Air Force four-star general. Prior to his current role, he served as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate. Prior to that, General Welsh served as Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, as the Associate Director for Military Affairs of the Central Intelligence Agency, and as the Vice Commander of Air Education and Training Command. In earlier portions of his career, he served as a fighter pilot (primarily flying the F-16 and A-10 aircraft) and was a commander at the squadron, group and wing level, in addition to assignments in training, operations, intelligence and acquisitions. He also served as the Commandant of the United States Air Force Academy. He was born in San Antonio, Texas, and entered the Air Force in June 1976 as a graduate of the Air Force Academy. Military career Welsh's military career culminated in achieving the rank of general (four stars) and serving as the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was appointed by President Barack Obama in May 2012, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee in July 2012 and was confirmed shortly thereafter by the United States Senate. Welsh completed the customary four-year term for a "service chief," retiring in July 2016 after more than 40 years of military service. During his tenure as a service chief, Welsh "wore two hats" as is customary for the role. As the chief of a military service, he was the senior-ranking uniformed officer within the service, responsible for the organizing, training and equipping of over 600,000 Air Force personnel, as well as related budgeting and planning functions, liaison with other services and agencies, and interaction with legislators and policymakers. Separately, as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he offered advice to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council. Prior to his final assignment in Washington, Welsh served as the 34th Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Commander, Allied Air Command Ramstein, Germany, and Director, Joint Air Power Competence Center at Kalkar, Germany.