Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Kentucky National Guard

Brigadier General Mark R. Kraus is the Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Kentucky Air National Guard, where he represents the Governor and the Adjutant General of Kentucky as the principal advisor on matters pertaining to the Kentucky Air National Guard. He also serves as Commander, Kentucky Air National Guard. He is responsible to the Adjutant General of Kentucky for the overall management of the flying unit in the state. He also serves as the A-2 Assistant to the Director of the Air National Guard. In this capacity he serves as an advisor to the Director, Air National Guard on Air National Guard Intelligence issues and acts as a liaison between the Air National Guard and Air Force on matters pertaining to Air National Guard A-2.

General Kraus has served as an RF-4C Weapon Systems Officer and C-130 Navigator, and has held a variety of leadership positions including command at the squadron, group and wing level. General Kraus’ military career spans more than 36 years, including six years of enlisted service prior to his commissioning as an officer through the Air National Guard Academy of Military Science in 1979. General Kraus was mobilized in support of Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. While deployed for Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, General Kraus served with United States Central Command as Commander of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, and Deputy Commander of the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group.

EDUCATION:

1987 McKendree College, Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Louisville, Kentucky
2001 Air War College, by correspondence

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. November 1979 - July 1980, Student, Air Force Undergraduate Navigator Training, Mather Air Force Base, California
2. July 1980 - April 1981, Student, Tactical Reconnaissance Training Course, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina
3. May 1981 - April 1982, Weapons Systems Officer, A Flight Member, 165th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
4. May 1982 - December 1990, Airspace Manager, Flying Training Officer and Flight Scheduler/Current Operations, 165th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, later, 165th Airlift Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
5. December 1990 - March 1992, Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
6. March 1992 - July 1995, Navigator, Standardization/Evaluation, 123rd Operations Group, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
7. July 1995 - July 1997, Chief of Standardization/Evaluation, 123rd Operations Group, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
8. July 1997 - July 1999, Flight Commander, 165th Airlift Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
9. August 1999 - July 2000, Operations Officer, 165th Airlift Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
10. August 2000 - January 2003, Commander, 165th Airlift Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
11. January 2003 - November 2004, Commander, 123rd Operations Group, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky; also served June 2003 - August 2003, Acting Wing Commander, 123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
12. November 2004 - October 2008, Commander, 123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky
13. October 2008 - Present, Assistant Adjutant General-Air, Kentucky, Joint Force Headquarters, Kentucky National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky; Dual-hatted August 2009 - Present, A-2, Air National Guard Assistant to the Director, Air National Guard, Arlington, Virginia

FLIGHT INFORMATION:

Rating: Master Navigator
Flight Hours: More than 4,000
Aircraft Flown: C-130B/H, RF-4C, T-43, T-37

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Legion of Merit
Bronze Star (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal (with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Army Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (with Valor Device and 2 Silver Oak Leaf Clusters)
Combat Readiness Medal (with 1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster and 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Air Force Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
National Defense Service Medal (with 2 Bronze Stars)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (with 1 Bronze Star)
Afghanistan Campaign Medal (with 1 Bronze Star)
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal (with 2 Bronze Service Stars)
Air Force Overseas Ribbon Short Tour
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon (with Gold Border and 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Air Force Longevity Service (with 1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster and 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with Gold Hourglass and "M" Device and Numeral 3)
Air Force Training Ribbon (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
NATO Medal
Kentucky Distinguished Service Medal
Kentucky Merit Ribbon
Kentucky Commendation Ribbon
Kentucky Service Ribbon (with 1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster)

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONS:

Second Lieutenant 15 November 1979
First Lieutenant 15 November 1982
Captain 10 March 1985
Major 10 February 1991
Lieutenant Colonel 7 January 1996
Colonel 28 January 2003
Brigadier General 3 October 2008

(Current as of November 2009)