[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 142 (Thursday, September 12, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6017]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO GENERAL MIKE MINIHAN

 Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to General 
Mike Minihan, U.S. Air Force. After 34 distinguished years of 
exceptional service to our Nation, General Minihan will soon retire 
from his position as commander, Air Mobility Command (AMC), Scott Air 
Force Base, IL.
  As commander, Air Mobility Command, General Mike Minihan led U.S. 
Transportation Command's air component, executing the air mobility 
mission in support of the joint force, allies, and partners with a 
fleet of nearly 1,100 aircraft. The command encompasses Eighteenth Air 
Force, the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, the 618th Air 
Operations Center, 17 wings, and two groups, which provide rapid global 
mobility from more than 100 locations worldwide. Nearly 104,000 Active-
Duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve airmen, and civilians 
comprise the air mobility Total Force, providing command and control of 
inter-theater and intra-theater airlift, air refueling, aeromedical 
evacuation, global air mobility support, and Presidential and senior 
leader air transport in support of national interests.
  General Minihan entered the Air Force in April 1990 after receiving 
his commission through the ROTC program at Auburn University. He 
completed undergraduate pilot training in 1991 and has served as an 
aircraft commander, instructor pilot, and evaluator pilot in the C-130 
Hercules. He has commanded in garrison, crisis, and combat and at the 
squadron, wing, and task force levels. He also held numerous joint, 
combined and Air Force staff assignments. Prior to his current 
position, General Minihan served as deputy commander for U.S. Indo-
Pacific Command.
  As commander, Air Mobility Command, General Minihan radically 
redesigned and shifted the culture of the command from a force focused 
on moving cargo, personnel, and fuel to the preeminent mechanism for 
Joint Force Maneuver. General Minihan re-envisioned Exercise Mobility 
Guardian in 2023, transitioning the exercise from a service-specific 
test of air mobility and logistics training executed over the 
continental United States to a joint and combined large-scale exercise 
in the Pacific. This exercise displayed unrivaled mobility air power, 
showcasing America's unique ability to provide rapid global mobility 
and put the world on notice that AMC can explode into theater to meet 
any combatant commander's requirements. In addition, General Minihan 
oversaw the rapid deployment of assistance to Ukraine and, later, to 
Israel and Gaza, taking appropriate proactive measures to sense and 
seize the environment to allow the combatant commander to project and 
sustain forces and demonstrate U.S. resolve and will.
  General Minihan retires as a command pilot with more than 3,400 
flying hours and qualifications in C-130, KC-10, and C-32 aircraft. 
Over General Minihan's distinguished career he has earned numerous 
joint and Air Force decorations including the Defense Distinguished 
Service Medal, three Legions of Merit, six Air Medals, and seven Aerial 
Achievement Medals. He has also led his airmen through several joint 
and Air Force organizational awards recognizing team excellence that 
include Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Award, Air Force 
Outstanding Unit Award, Republic of Korea Cheonsu Medal, and the Order 
of Saint Maurice.
  General Minihan has served his Nation for over three decades 
honorably and with passion and love for his airmen, and we thank him 
for all he has done for our great Nation.

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