The general earned his commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1972. He continued his education at the University of California, Los Angeles, completing a master's degree in 1973. His flying assignments include tours in Europe, Asia and Southwest Asia in the F-4, F-16 and U-2. He commanded two fighter squadrons, including the "Thunderbirds," the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, two operations groups and two wings, to include the nation's high-altitude reconnaissance fleet and Southwest Asia Air Expeditionary Wing. He also served at the Pentagon in the Joint Staff's Operational Plans and Interoperability Directorate and the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate. The general is a command pilot with more than 4,500 flying hours in fighter and reconnaissance aircraft.
 

EDUCATION:
 

1972 Bachelor of science degree in engineering management, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1973 Master of science degree in business administration and management, University of California, Los Angeles
1977 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
1982 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
1994 Master of science degree in national security strategy, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2001 Executive Program for General Officers of the Russian Federation and the United States, John F. Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS:
 

1. June 1972 - April 1973, graduate student, Air Force Institute of Technology, University of California, Los Angeles
2. April 1973 - June 1974, student, undergraduate pilot training, Webb Air Force Base, Texas
3. July 1974 - June 1975, F-4 upgrade training, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.
4. July 1975 - July 1976, F-4 aircraft commander, 80th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea
5. August 1976 - December 1979, fighter weapons instructor pilot, 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force
Base, N.C.
6. January 1980 - December 1983, F-4 and F-16 instructor pilot; squadron and wing weapons officer, and flight commander, 50th
and 313th tactical fighter squadrons, Hahn Air Base, West Germany
7. January 1984 - July 1986, chief, F-16 project office, assistant director of tactics and test operations, 57th Fighter Weapons
Wing, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
8. July 1986 - October 1989, operations officer and commander, F-16 Division, USAF Tactical Fighter Weapons Center, Nellis
Air Force Base, Nev.
9. November 1989 - January 1992, commander, U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
10. February 1992 - September 1992, deputy commander, later, commander, 31st Operations Group, Homestead Air Force Base,
Fla.
11. October 1992 - July 1993, commander, 363rd Operations Group, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.
12. August 1993 - June 1994, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. June 1994 - January 1995, Joint Staff planner, Operational Plans and Interoperability Directorate, Washington, D.C.
14. February 1995 - April 1997, branch chief, NATO and European Division, and chief, Policy Division, Washington, D.C.
15. April 1997 - June 1999, commander, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.
16. June 1999 - July 2000, commander, 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia
17. August 2000 - present, director of plans and policy, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany

FLIGHT INFORMATION:

Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,500
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, F-4, F-16 and U-2

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:

Second Lieutenant Jun 7, 1972
First Lieutenant Jun 7, 1974
Captain Jun 7, 1976
Major Feb 1, 1984
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 1987
Colonel Jan 1, 1992
Brigadier General Oct 1, 1997
Major General Oct 1, 2000

(Current as of February 2001)

Col. Charles Simpson assumed command of the 9 RW from Brig. General Robert Behler on 18 April 1997. Col Simpson, comes from the Pentagon where he was chief of Joint Staff Policy Division. Brig. Gen Behler will be going to become Director of the Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence Systems at US Strategic Command at Offutt AFB, NE, he was commander of the 9 RW for 19 months. -Space Sentinel and 9RW Public Affairs (25 April 1997).

B/Gen. Charles Simpson relinquishes command of the 9 RW to Brig. Gen Kevin Chilton at the Beale AFB flight line on Wednesday 2 June 1999. B/Gen. Chilton is a Air Force Academy graduate, with 5,000 hours of flight time in RF-4C and F-15, and has 3 Space Shuttle missions. B/Gen. Chilton's previous coomand was Deputy Director of Operations at the Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, CO, B/Gen. Simpson leaves to command of Air Force units based at Prince Sultan AB, Saudia Arabia. B/Gen. Simpsons spearheaded many changes and upgrades to Beale AFB, and the U-2 during his tenure are: a new glass cockpit design for the U-2 and a Collier Trophy, a modernization program at Beale totaling $45 million. Brig. Gen. Simpson took command of the 9 RW on 18 April 1997. Good Luck to Brig. Gen. Simpson in his new command. -High Flyer 28 May 1999