He is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military's top uniformed official.
Before taking his current job at the Pentagon, Richard Myers served as vice chairman of the Chiefs. Prior to that he served as commander in chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Space Command. It was in that capacity that he earned the nickname "General Star Wars" for his expertise on futuristic weapons. Today, he is considered one of Washington's top advocates for the controversial missile defense shield plan, which President Bush strongly supports.
The president tapped Myers in August for the top uniformed job in part because of his understanding of and experience with military technology. At a White House ceremony to announce the selection, the president said, "General Myers is a man of steady resolve and determined leadership. His is a skilled and steady hand. He is someone who understands that the strengths of America's armed forces are our people and our technological superiority, and we must invest in both."
The irony, of course, is that the U.S. now finds itself in a relatively old-fashioned war involving traditional military elements such as planes, bombs and Special Operations forces (see "What Are Special Ops?"). Myers is hardly inexperienced when it comes to conventional warfare, though. He served as a combat pilot in Vietnam, and has logged over 600 combat hours in an F-4 fighter plane. He also served as commander of U.S. forces in Japan.
In his new role, Myers chairs a committee that consists of the chief of staff of the Army, the chief of Naval Operations, the chief of staff of the Air Force, and the commandant of the Marine Corps. He is considered a long-time ally of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld (see "Who Is Donald Rumsfeld?"), with whom he works closely to plan and oversee the execution of military maneuvers in Afghanistan.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Myers was terrified of planes as a boy after seeing one crash at a local military base. To help him overcome his fear, his parents insisted he watch planes repeatedly take off and land. The tactic worked; by the time he was a teenager, Myers aspired to be an Air Force pilot. He entered the Air Force in 1965 as an undergraduate at Kansas State University through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program and left for Vietnam several years later.
He is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military's top uniformed official.
Before taking his current job at the Pentagon, Richard Myers served as vice chairman of the Chiefs. Prior to that he served as commander in chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Space Command. It was in that capacity that he earned the nickname "General Star Wars" for his expertise on futuristic weapons. Today, he is considered one of Washington's top advocates for the controversial missile defense shield plan, which President Bush strongly supports.
The president tapped Myers in August for the top uniformed job in part because of his understanding of and experience with military technology. At a White House ceremony to announce the selection, the president said, "General Myers is a man of steady resolve and determined leadership. His is a skilled and steady hand. He is someone who understands that the strengths of America's armed forces are our people and our technological superiority, and we must invest in both."
The irony, of course, is that the U.S. now finds itself in a relatively old-fashioned war involving traditional military elements such as planes, bombs and Special Operations forces (see "What Are Special Ops?"). Myers is hardly inexperienced when it comes to conventional warfare, though. He served as a combat pilot in Vietnam, and has logged over 600 combat hours in an F-4 fighter plane. He also served as commander of U.S. forces in Japan.
In his new role, Myers chairs a committee that consists of the chief of staff of the Army, the chief of Naval Operations, the chief of staff of the Air Force, and the commandant of the Marine Corps. He is considered a long-time ally of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld (see "Who Is Donald Rumsfeld?"), with whom he works closely to plan and oversee the execution of military maneuvers in Afghanistan.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Myers was terrified of planes as a boy after seeing one crash at a local military base. To help him overcome his fear, his parents insisted he watch planes repeatedly take off and land. The tactic worked; by the time he was a teenager, Myers aspired to be an Air Force pilot. He entered the Air Force in 1965 as an undergraduate at Kansas State University through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program and left for Vietnam several years later.
Share your thoughts on the attacks in Afghanistan You Tell Us.
An MTV News Staff report.
Back to Fact Files Index
