Ralph Eberhart
United States general
Ralph Edward "Ed" Eberhart (born December 6, 1946) is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force (USAF). He served as the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. He was in charge of NORAD during the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Biography
Eberhart entered the USAF in 1968 as a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, having been the cadet wing commander during his senior year.
A command pilot, General Eberhart has logged more than 5,000 hours, primarily in fighter and trainer aircraft, including 300 combat missions as a forward air controller in the Vietnam War.
While commander of the 363rd Tactical Fighter Wing during Operation Desert Shield, the unit established the theater's initial air-to-ground combat capability from a forward operating location.
While he was lieutenant general in January 1996, Eberhart produced a novel concept in operational doctrine: "that a joint force commander could profitably use his air component to attack deep battle targets or at the start of an expeditionary operation before ground forces were in place." Chief of Staff of the Air Force general Ronald Fogleman embraced this doctrine, saying in April 1996: "The need for mass on the battlefield has now changed. We don’t need to occupy an enemy’s country to defeat his strategy. We can reduce his combat capabilities and in many instances defeat his armed forces from the air."
Eberhart's staff experience includes serving as executive officer to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force at Headquarters USAF; Deputy Chief of Staff for Inspection, Safety and Security, Headquarters Tactical Air Command; Director for Programs and Evaluation, Headquarters USAF; Director of Force Structure, Resources and Assessment, the Joint Staff; and Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters USAF. The general has also served as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, commander, Air Combat Command, Commander, Air Force Space Command, and as commander-in-chief, United States Space Command.
Eberhart has commanded a flight, squadron, wing, numbered air force and two major commands, as well as one sub-unified command, two unified commands and one bi-national command.
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