T . Michael Moseley General Teed Michael Moseley , USAF ( born September 3 , 1949 ) is a retired United States Air Force General who served as the 20th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force . He is a fighter pilot with more than 2 , 800 flight hours , many in the F - 15 Eagle . On 2 September 2005 , Moseley assumed his final Air Force assignment as Chief of Staff of the Air Force — the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization , training and equipage of more than 700 , 000 active - duty , Guard , Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas . As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense , National Security Council , and the President . Moseley resigned from the Air Force at the request of U . S . Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in June 2008 in the wake of a number of Air Force scandals , including a 2007 scandal related to the Air Force ' s handling of the security of nuclear weapons at Minot Air Force Base . On 11 July 2008 , a formal retirement ceremony was held for General Moseley ; he officially retired from the Air Force on 11 August 2008 . Background . Moseley was born in 1949 in Grand Prairie , Texas . He graduated from Texas A & M University in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science . He earned a Master of Arts degree from Texas A & M University in 1972 , also in political science . He commanded the F - 15 Division of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB , Nevada , the 33rd Operations Group at Eglin AFB , Florida , and the 57th Wing , the Air Force ' s largest , most diverse flying wing , also at Nellis . The general has served as the combat Director of Operations for Joint Task Force - Southwest Asia . General Moseley also commanded 9th Air Force and U . S . Central Command Air Forces while serving as Combined Forces Air Component Commander for Operations in Operation Southern Watch , Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom . The general is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations . He has been awarded the Order of National Merit ( Officer ) and the Order of National Merit ( Commander ) by the president of the French Republic . The Order of National Merit is the second highest French military award . He has also been awarded the United Arab Emirates ' Military Medal , 1st Class , by the president of the U . A . E . Moseley ' s staff assignments have been a mix of operational , joint and personnel duties . These include serving in Washington , D . C . , as Director for Legislative Liaison for the Secretary of the Air Force ; Deputy Director for Politico - Military Affairs for Asia / Pacific and Middle East , the Joint Chiefs of Staff ; Chief of the Air Force General Officer Matters Office ; Chief of Staff of the Air Force Chair and Professor of Joint and Combined Warfare at the National War College ; and Chief of the Tactical Fighter Branch , Tactical Forces Division , Directorate of Plans , Headquarters U . S . Air Force . Moseley assumed the position of Chief of Staff of the Air Force during a ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base on September 2 , 2005 . Moseley personally " adopted " the United States Air Force Academy Class of 2009 as his own , and has gone out of his way to address the future leaders of the U . S . Air Force . On March 8 , 2007 , the Grand Prairie ISD school board unanimously voted to name an elementary school opening in the 2007 – 2008 school year Mike Moseley Elementary School in honor of his achievements and as a native of Grand Prairie . As a result of a series of high - profile scandals , Moseley , along with the Secretary of the Air Force , was forced to resign — his resignation coming on 5 June 2008 in the wake of a report that criticized the service ' s handling of nuclear weapons security related to the 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident and a misshipment of nuclear missile components to Taiwan . Following his resignation , Moseley continued to serve as Chief of Staff of the Air Force until his official retirement ceremony at Bolling AFB , Washington , D . C . on 11 July 2008 . ( See 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident ) On 11 July 2008 , Moseley had his formal retirement ceremony at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington , D . C . Former Secretary of the Air Force , the Honorable Michael Wynne presided over the ceremony . Moseley officially retired from the Air Force on August 1 , 2008 . Thunderbirds " Thundervision " scandal . Members of the United States Air Force were under investigation by the FBI for having awarded a $ 50 million contract for audio - visual presentation services to Strategic Message Solutions ( SMS ) of Plymouth Meeting , Pennsylvania . The contract involved the " Thundervision " project , meant to provide oversized video screens and perhaps content services during air shows that featured the Air Force Thunderbirds . The investigation revolves around possible involvement of former Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen . ( ret . ) John P . Jumper , and Chief of Staff of the Air Force T . Michael Moseley . It is suggested that the contract price was inflated , because a friend of the two generals , Air Force General ( ret . ) Hal Hornburg , was associated with Strategic Message Solutions . Two companies involved in the bidding process protested award of the contract in January 2006 , one having offered comparable services for half as much . The Air Force cancelled the contract in February 2006 . In July 2009 the DoD IG concluded that Moseley violated Federal rules and regulations by helping steer the Thunderbirds promotion contract to SMS . The investigation found that Moseley gave SMS personal access to his office and direct access to USAF resources before the contract bid , including personnel and equipment . The IG also concluded Moseley improperly solicited and accepted gratuities from the owner of SMS , including arranging for a friend to fly in the owner ' s vintage fighter plane and accepting dinner and an overnight stay at the SMS owner ' s home . In October 2009 , Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley issued Retired General Moseley a " Letter of Admonishment in Retirement " for his actions . Flight information . Rating : Command pilot Flight hours : more than 2 , 800 Aircraft flown : T - 37 , T - 38 , AT - 38 and F - 15A / B / C / D Honors . Moseley had an elementary school named in his honor . Mike Moseley Elementary opened in Moseley ' s home town of Grand Prairie , Texas in 2007 . The elementary school has roughly 550 students from pre - k to 5th grades . Mike Moseley Elementary is part of the Grand Prairie Independent School District . Their mascot is the Thunderbird .