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            MAJOR GENERAL ROBERT P. STEELMaj. Gen. Robert P. Steel is Commandant, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. The National War College is the senior service school in the study of national security affairs. It is composed of departmental influences to include Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, Department of Defense, Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency and other executive agencies.
General Steel was born in Riverside, Calif., and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering. He has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels. The general has served on the Joint Staff as Chief, Major Theater War Section, and later as the Chief, Warfighting Analysis Division. He went on to serve as the Director of Staff and senior U.S. representative for Headquarters Allied Air Forces North of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and subsequently commanded the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Theater Air and Space Operations Center, Headquarters USAFE. General Steel has also served as Director, Air Component Coordination Element, Multi-National Force-Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq, where he was the Combined Forces Air Component Commander's primary adviser and personal representative to the MNF-I Commander. Prior to his current assignment, he commanded the 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England.
General Steel is a command pilot with more than 3,100 flying hours in a variety of aircraft, including the F-4E, F-16A/B/C/D, F-16CG, F-16CJ, F-15D, F-15E and HH-60.**EDUCATION**
1978 Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1983 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
1985 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
1987 Master's degree in public administration, Golden Gate University
1990 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
1994 Air War College, by correspondence 
1998 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2006 Capstone General and Flag Officer Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. **ASSIGNMENTS**
1. May 1978 - June 1979, student, undergraduate pilot training, Williams AFB, Ariz.
2. June 1979 - August 1979, student, fighter lead-in training, 436th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Holloman AFB, N.M.
3. August 1979 - April 1980, student, F-4E Replacement Training Unit, 309th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Homestead AFB, Fla.
4. April 1980 - September 1981, aircraft commander and training officer, 10th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Hahn Air Base, West Germany
5. September 1981 - June 1983, flight leader and weapons and tactics officer, 512th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ramstein AB, West Germany
6. June 1983 - October 1986, instructor pilot and scheduling officer, later, Chief, Squadron Standardization and Evaluation, later, Chief, Squadron Programming, 61st Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, MacDill AFB, Fla.
7. October 1986 - January 1990, F-16 Project Manager, 422th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. January 1990 - June 1990, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
9. June 1990 - September 1993, fighter pilot combat systems analyst, Air Force Studies and Analyses Agency, later, executive officer, Directorate of Programs and Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
10. September 1993 - October 1994, assistant operations officer, 35th Fighter Squadron, later, operations officer, 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan AB, South Korea
11. October 1994 - June 1997, operations officer, later, Commander, 23rd Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany
12. June 1997 - June 1998, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
13. June 1998 - March 2000, Chief, Major Theater War Section, later, Chief, Warfighting Analysis Division, Directorate for Force Structure, Resources and Assessment (J8), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
14. March 2000 - January 2002, student, later, Commander, 56th Operations Group, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz.
15. January 2002 - July 2003, Director of Staff and senior U.S. representative, Headquarters Allied Air Forces North, Ramstein AB, Germany
16. July 2003 - February 2004, Commander, USAFE Theater Air and Space Operations Center, Headquarters USAFE, Ramstein AB, Germany
17. April 2004 - April 2005, Director, Air Component Coordination Element, Multi-National Force-Iraq, Baghdad
18. June 2005 - June 2007, Commander, 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England
19. June 2007 - present, Commandant, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.**SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS** 
1. June 1998 - March 2000, Chief, Major Theater War Section, later, Chief, Warfighting Analysis Division, Directorate for Force Structure, Resources and Assessment (J8), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a colonel 
2. January 2002 - July 2003, Director of Staff and senior U.S. representative, Headquarters Allied Air Forces North, Ramstein AB, Germany, as a colonel 
3. June 2007 - present, Commandant, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., as a major general **FLIGHT INFORMATION**
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,100
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, AT-38, F-4E, F-16A/B/C/D, F-16CG, F-16CJ, F-15D, F-15E and HH-60**MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS**
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters 
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster 
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster 
Air Force Achievement Medal 
Combat Readiness Medal with three oak leaf clusters 
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star 
Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze star 
Iraq Campaign Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal 
NATO Medal (Former Republic of Yugoslavia)**EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION**
Second Lieutenant May 31, 1978
First Lieutenant May 31, 1980
Captain May 31, 1982
Major Dec. 1, 1988
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 1994
Colonel April 1, 1999
Brigadier General Jan. 1, 2005
Major General  Nov. 27, 2007
(Current as of November 2010)