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    HomeAbout UsBiographiesDisplay      Portrait of U.S. Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder.Effective Dates of Promotion
                
                Second Lieutenant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                May 02, 1992First Lieutenant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 September 08, 1994Captain                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          September 08, 1996Major                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            March 01, 2003Lieutenant Colonel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               March 01, 2008Colonel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          June 01, 2014Brigadier General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                August 05, 2020Major General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    December 05, 2023Award ribbon rack of BG Patrick S. RyderEngage OnFacebook PostsYour browser is incompatible with this widget.
                        
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        Portrait of U.S. Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder.Major General PATRICK S. RYDERMaj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder is the Department of Defense Press Secretary, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In this role, he serves as the Department's chief spokesperson, providing timely and accurate information to the public, Congress, and news media. He also advises Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks on public communications.
Maj. Gen. Ryder was commissioned in 1992 through the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Most recently, he served as the Director of Public Affairs for the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. His staff assignments include serving as the Special Assistant for Public Affairs to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of Public Affairs for U.S. Central Command, and Director of Public Affairs for the Office of Defense Representative-Pakistan. During his career, Maj. Gen. Ryder has led public affairs operations in numerous overseas contingency operations. He served as the PAO for the Air Force’s initial cadre at Taszar Air Base, Hungary, during the 1995 peace-keeping mission, Operation Joint Endeavor, and led 48th Fighter Wing public affairs operations in support of NATO during the 1999 Kosovo Air Campaign. In support for Operation Iraqi Freedom, he served as a strategic communications planner for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad from March–July 2004 and led the DoD Public Affairs response to highlight U.S. military humanitarian support to Pakistan during floods in 2010. While at U.S. Central Command, Maj. Gen. Ryder oversaw the command-wide public affairs operations in support of the counter-ISIS campaign Operation Inherent Resolve from 2014-2016.**EDUCATION**
1992 Bachelor of Science, Advertising, University of Florida, Gainesville
1999 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1999 Master of Arts, Public Administration, Bowie State University, Bowie, Md.
2002 Language Area Studies & Immersion Program, German, University of Salzburg, Austria
2004 Air Command & Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2006 Master of Science, Strategic Intelligence, Joint Military Intelligence College, Defense Intelligence Agency, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.
2008 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2013 Master of Science, National Resource Strategy, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.**ASSIGNMENTS**
1. January 1993–August 1994, Deputy Chief, Public Affairs, 81st Training Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.
2. August 1994–June 1996, Deputy Chief, Public Affairs, 39th Wing, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey
3. June 1996–June 1999, Chief, Public Affairs, 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom
4. June 1999–July 2000, Chief, Readiness & Evaluation, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, Resources & Readiness Division, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
5. July 2001–June 2002, Executive Officer to the Director, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
6. June 2002–June 2003, Chief, Plans & Readiness Division, U.S. Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs, Ramstein AB, Germany
7. June 2003–July 2005, Chief, Operations Division, USAFE Public Affairs, Ramstein AB, Germany
8. August 2005–August 2006, Graduate/IDE Student, Joint Military Intelligence College, Defense Intelligence Agency, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C
9. August 2006–September 2009, Press Officer, Defense Press Operations, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
10. October 2009–October 2010, Director, Public Affairs, Office of Defense Representative–Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan
11. November 2010–July 2012, Strategic Communication Advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. August 2012–June 2013, Student, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. July 2013–July 2016, Director of Public Affairs, and Deputy Director, Communication Integration, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
14. July 2016–September 2017, Chief, Air Force Media Operations Division, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. October 2017–October 2019, Special Assistant for Public Affairs to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. October 2019–April 2020, Special Assistant to the Director of Air Force Public Affairs, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. May 2020–August 2022, Director of Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. August 2022–present, Press Secretary, Department of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.**SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS**
1. August 2006–September 2009, Press Officer, Defense Press Operations, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a major and lieutenant colonel
2. October 2009–October 2010, Director, Public Affairs, Office of Defense Representative–Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan, as a lieutenant colonel
3. July 2013–July 2016, Director of Public Affairs, and Deputy Director, Communication Integration, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., as a lieutenant colonel and colonel
4. October 2017–October 2019, Special Assistant for Public Affairs to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
5. August 2022–present, Press Secretary, Department of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a brigadier general and major general**MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS**
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Achievement Medal
(Current as of December 2023)
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