Posted at 11:41 a.m., Thursday, August 19, 2004
AF general to head Pacific Command
Advertiser Staff
U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory S. Martin today was appointed by President Bush to head the Pacific Command, with the exception of one interim appointment the first officer outside the Navy to receive the position.Martin replaced Adm. Thomas Fargo, who has held the command since May 2002. Fargo, 56, who will retire in January, is expected to remain in Hawai'i.
All but one of the 20 Pacific commanders since 1947 have been Navy admirals. Army Lt. Gen. Harold T. Fields briefly held the position from July 11 to 18 in 1994.
Martin is the former commander of Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Materiel command conducts research, development, test and evaluation of Air Force weapon systems.
Born in Fort Myer, Va., Martin earned a bachelor of science degee from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970 and a master's degree in business management from Central Michigan University in 1977. He entered the Air Force in June 1970, receiving his commission from the Air Force Academy.
He flew 161 combat missions in Southeast Asia, and has held several fighter wing commands. He is a command pilot with more than 4,500 flying hours in various aircraft, including the F-4, F-15, C-20 and C-21.
Martin also served as vice director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's Force Structure and Resources Directorate, director of Operational Requirements for the U.S. Air Force, and principal deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Before serving as commander of materiel command, Martin served as the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Allied Air Forces Northern Europe.
The Pacific Command covers half the globe and 43 countries.
The job of Pacific commander is part warfighter and part diplomat.
Fargo traveled to Singapore in February, New Zealand in March, and the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia in June, where he discussed such issues as a Regional Maritime Security Initiative to better share intelligence with other countries to stem terrorism, drug trafficking and piracy.
