Ronald J. Bath

Ronald J. Bath
Bath, during his tenure as a major general.
Birth nameRonald Jay Bath
Born (1944-11-04) November 4, 1944 (age 80)[1]
Nevada, U.S.
Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch United States Air Force
Years of service1968–2006
Rank Major general
UnitNevada Air National Guard
Battles / wars
Other workRJBath Group

Ronald Jay Bath (born November 4, 1944) is a retired United States Air Force major general who directed U.S. Air Force Strategic Planning for the service's Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs at service headquarters in the Pentagon.

Bath's prior assignment was as director, Quadrennial Defense Review and Defense Integration. The Defense Integration Office was established to prepare and represent the Air Force in the QDR and the follow-on actions, including the Defense Planning Guidance within the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Career

Bath began his military career in 1968 as a boiler operator and heating specialist in the enlisted ranks of the Nevada Air National Guard. During the 1997 QDR, he was the Air National Guard assistant to the director for the Air Force effort. Bath was one of 16 senior military officers representing the four services and the single National Guard officer assigned as professional staff to the 1995 congressionally mandated Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces. Having been a traditional guardsman and air technician, Bath is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours in the RF-101 and RF-4 Phantom II. He flew 31 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, during the Persian Gulf War.

Assignments

  • June 1969 – June 1970: student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma
  • June 1970 – July 1984: RF-101 reconnaissance pilot, 192nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Reno, Nevada
  • July 1984 – November 1990: RF-4C pilot and flight commander, 192nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Reno, Nevada
  • November 1990 – July 1991: flight safety officer, 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, Sheik Isa Air Base, Bahrain
  • July 1991 – July 1993: Chief of Safety, later, Chief of Plans, 152nd Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Reno, Nevada
  • July 1993 – July 1994: National Security Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • July 1994 – July 1995: professional staff, Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces, Washington, D.C.
  • July 1995 – July 1996: Air National Guard adviser to the Army Division Redesign Study, Washington, D.C.
  • July 1996 – December 1997: Air National Guard assistant to the Director, Air Force QDR, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
  • December 1997 – December 1999: Division Chief, National Defense Review, Directorate of Air Force Strategic Planning and Programming, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
  • December 1999 – September 2001: Deputy Director, Air Force QDR, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
  • September 2001 – March 2002: Director, Air Force QDR and Defense Integration, Office of the Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
  • March 2002 – May 2006: Director, Air Force Strategic Planning, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

Flight information

Awards and decorations

U.S. Air Force Command Pilot Badge
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross
Width-44 crimson ribbon with two width-8 white stripes at distance 4 from the edges. Meritorious Service Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
V
Silver oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and silver oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with bronze oak leaf cluster
Silver oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal
Bronze star
Width=44 scarlet ribbon with a central width-4 golden yellow stripe, flanked by pairs of width-1 scarlet, white, Old Glory blue, and white stripes
National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Width-44 ribbon with the following stripes, arranged symmetrically from the edges to the center: width-2 black, width-4 chamois, width-2 Old Glory blue, width-2 white, width-2 Old Glory red, width-6 chamouis, width-3 myrtle green up to a central width-2 black stripe
Southwest Asia Service Medal with two bronze service stars
Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Longevity Service Award with bronze oak leaf cluster
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with bronze hourglass and M device
Bronze star
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with bronze service star
Air Force Training Ribbon
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Dates of rank

Promotions
Insignia Rank Date
Major general April 1, 2002
Brigadier general July 1, 1999
Colonel December 23, 1994
Lieutenant colonel June 14, 1987
Major March 18, 1983
Captain March 18, 1976
First lieutenant March 18, 1972
Second lieutenant March 18, 1969

Education

Personal life

Bath retired in November 2007 and formed the RJBath Group, specializing in classified and unclassified defense analysis consulting.

References

  1. ^ "Ronald Bath background check". Public Background Checks.