General Paul V. Hester (born October 21, 1947) is a retired United States Air Force officer. He served as Commander, Pacific Air Forces, and Air Component Commander for the Commander, United States Pacific Command from July 2004 to November 2007. He had responsibility for Air Force activities spread over half the globe in a command that supports 55,500 Air Force personnel serving in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Japan and South Korea.
Military career
Hester was commissioned through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program at the University of Mississippi. He earned his wings in December 1971 at Columbus AFB, Mississippi. A command pilot and combat veteran, Hester has more than 200 combat hours in Southeast Asia and has accumulated more than 2,900 flight hours during his career. Additionally, he served as an instructor in the A-7, F-4 and F-15 in operational and training units. Hester commanded the 94th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 18th Operations Group, 35th Fighter Wing, 53rd Wing and United States Forces Japan and 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base. He also served as Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command in Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Hester's staff tours include duty in the Directorate of Plans, as a member of the Commander's Action Group at Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Chief of the Air Force's Legislative Liaison Office at the United States House of Representatives, Division Chief in J-5 of the Joint Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Director of Air Force Legislative Liaison for the Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. He also served as the Air Component Commander and force provider to Joint Task Force-536 during Operation Unified Assistance in support of the South Asia tsunami relief effort.
Education
1969 Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accountancy, University of Mississippi 1970 Master of Business Administration degree in accountancy, University of Mississippi 1974 Squadron Officer School 1979 Air Command and Staff College 1980 Master's degree in military arts and science, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 1990 National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 1992 Program for Senior Officials in National Security, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1993 Senior Defense Fellow, Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1999 Executive Program for General Officers of the Russian Federation and the United States, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts