USEUCOM DEPUTY COMMANDER, GENERAL CHARLES F. WALD ARRIVES IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS: Gen. Charles F. Wald, Deputy
Commander, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany
(USEUCOM) is arriving today in Yerevan on a two-day visit. The US
Embassy Public Affairs Section said General Wald is scheduled to meet
with Armenian president Robert Kocharian, defense minister Serzh
Sarkisian and other top Armenian army officials.
The Embassy said the goal of USEUCOM’s visit to Armenia is to
discuss here growing US-Armenian military cooperation.
USEUCOM is responsible for all U.S. forces operating across 91
countries in Europe, Africa, Russia, parts of Asia and the Middle
East, and most of the Atlantic Ocean.
General Wald earned his commission through the Air Force ROTC
program in 1971. He has combat time as an O-2A forward air controller
in Vietnam and as an F-16 pilot flying over Bosnia. The general has
served as a T-37 instructor pilot and F-15 flight commander. Other
duties include Chief of the U.S. Air Force Combat Terrorism Center,
support group commander, operations group commander, and special
assistant to the Chief of Staff for National DefenseReview. He was
also the Director of Strategic Planning and Policy at Headquarters
U.S. Air Force, and served on the Joint Staff as the Vice Director
for Strategic Plans and Policy.
General Wald commanded the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base,
Italy, where on Aug. 30, 1995, he led one of the wing’s initial strike
packages against the ammunition depot at Pale, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in
the first-ever NATO combat operation. He also commanded the 9th Air
Force and U.S. Central Command Air Forces, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.,
where he led the development of the Afghanistan air campaign for
Operation Enduring Freedom, including the ideaof embedding tactical
air control parties in ground special operations forces.Prior to
assuming his current position, he was Deputy Chief of Staff for Air
and Space Operations at the Pentagon.
The general is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours,
including more than 430 combat hours over Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos,
Iraq andBosnia.