Merrill McPeak - Military Career

Military Career

After completing preflight and pilot training, he flew fighter F-100 Super Sabre and F-104 Starfighter aircraft in operational squadrons in the United States and in the United Kingdom. Later he returned to the U.S. as an instructor pilot and weapons officer at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.

From December 1966 to December 1968, McPeak was assigned as a solo and lead solo pilot with the Thunderbirds, the Air Force's acrobatic flying team. While with the Thunderbirds he performed in nearly 200 air shows in the U.S. and overseas.

Upon completion of his tour with the Thunderbirds, he was assigned as an F-100 pilot with the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing at Phu Cat Air Base in the Republic of Vietnam. On February 1, 1969, he was assigned to Project Commando Sabre (Detachment 1, 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron), known as the Misty FACs, a specialized group of high speed forward air controllers trying to stop traffic down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. He became the tenth commander of Commando Sabre on April 22, 1969, and moved it to the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing at Tuy Hoa Air Base on May 1, when the 37th TFW transitioned to F-4 Phantom IIs. Rotating out of his command on May 31, 1969 after 98 missions, he served as chief of standardization and evaluation for 31st Wing. McPeak completed a total of 269 combat missions while in Vietnam, remaining in-country until 1970, after which he attended the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia.

From 1970-73 McPeak was an air operations staff officer for the Mideast Division at Headquarters USAF in Washington. After graduating from the National War College in 1974, he was named assistant deputy commander for operations for the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at MacDill AFB, Florida. He later (1975–76) was a military fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City.

In 1976, McPeak contributed an article to Foreign Affairs Journal expressing his views on the Israelis' occupation of territories during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

In July 1976, he became commander of the 513th Combat Support Group based at RAF Station Mildenhall; a year later he moved to Zaragoza Air Base in Spain as vice commander of the 406th Tactical Fighter Training Wing. From 1978-80, he was assistant chief of staff for current operations, Allied Air Forces Central Europe (in Boerfink, West Germany). 1980-81 saw him commanding the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at RAF Station Upper Heyford. McPeak was chief of staff at USAFE headquarters from 1981–82, and deputy chief of staff for plans at TAC headquarters, Langley AFB, Virginia from 1982-85. He returned to Headquarters USAF in 1985-87 as deputy chief of staff for programs and resources.

In June 1987, McPeak moved to Bergstrom AFB, Texas in the dual roles of 12th Air Force commander and commander of Air Forces for United States Southern Command. A year later he was named commander-in-chief of Pacific Air Forces PACAF. He was appointed Air Force Chief of Staff by President George H.W. Bush in October 1990, replacing the retiring General Michael Dugan.

McPeak took over as Chief of Staff during the run-up for Operation Desert Shield, and assisted in overall strategic planning for Operation Desert Storm. His tenure also saw major reduction in force as a result of the end of the Cold War; during his time as Chief of Staff, he oversaw the disbandment of Strategic Air Command, Tactical Air Command, Military Airlift Command, Air Force Systems Command, Air Force Logistics Command, and Air Force Communications Command, with assets transferred primarily to Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Materiel Command and the Air Force Communications Agency. Also, his tenure oversaw the merging of Air Training Command and Air University into Air Education and Training Command. McPeak pushed through major organizational change, aimed at streamlining and emphasizing operations and combat readiness. Much of his tenure focused on elevating the status of flight operations, some say at the expense of support, or non-flying career fields. He also created the Air Force Expeditionary Wing concept, a fusion of combat forces and support into a single organization. He also transferred several command billets to Brigadier Generals even though previously these had been commanded by Colonels.

However, he is best remembered by many Air Force personnel for the sweeping changes made to the service dress uniform. Worn by more personnel during most duties, the new version was a radical departure from the earlier version, which was essentially the same as the US Army service uniform (the US Air Force was originally the US Army Air Corps). Because of its resemblance to both Naval officer's uniforms and those of airline pilots, the McPeak uniform was said to be unpopular with service members. These uniform changes were subsequently reversed by his successor. The basic redesign continues to be worn to this day but the sleeve ranks were eliminated and name tags reinstituted. McPeak's original concept of simplifying and toning down the various devices and gadgets pinned to the uniform has gone by the way.

McPeak also acted as Secretary of the Air Force for three weeks in 1993, during an interim before the formal appointment and confirmation of Sheila E. Widnall, as of that date becoming the only person to have ever concurrently served in both capacities. McPeak continued as Chief of Staff through October 1994, retiring afterwards.