embassy events 2009

Colonel Mary Peterson – U.S. Air Attaché to Poland

5 March 2009

Colonel Mary Peterson

Colonel Mary Peterson assumed the duties of United States Air Attaché to Poland in March 2009, announced Colonel Richard Runner, Defense Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw.  Colonel Peterson is the first woman to be appointed Air Attaché to Poland.  Prior to this assignment, she commanded the 100th Mission Support Group, Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall, England where her mission was to provide for, protect and sustain the people, facilities and support services of the combined British and American defense community.  Colonel Peterson was previously assigned to the U.S. Military Delegation at NATO Headquarters coordinating strategic, political-military level issues with over 40 NATO and partner nations.  Prior to her NATO assignment, she served in Baghdad, Iraq where she established the Counterterrorism Branch of the Intelligence Fusion Center, Combined Joint Task Force – Seven (CJTF-7), and served as its first director in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

Before deploying to Iraq, she held three positions at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey supporting Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and NORTHERN WATCH.  She also served at the Pentagon on the Joint Staff in the Deputy Directorate for Combating Terrorism and in the Directorate for Operation.  She coordinated a wide variety of Force Protection activities with Combatant Commands and Service staffs worldwide and worked extensively with interagency counterparts.  As an Executive Assistant in the Operations Directorate, she was involved in key staffing actions involving military operations in Iraq, the Balkans, Africa and Asia.  She has served in Air Force Office of Special Investigation Detachments in the US and Overseas to include serving as the deployed commander in Haiti during Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY.  Her duties with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations have included command, executive support, staff officer and instructor duties.  

EDUCATION:

1985   Bachelor of Science, Management, US Air Force Academy, Colorado
1987   Defense Language Institute (German), Monterey, California
1989   Master’s degree in Public Administration, Troy State University, Germany
1991   Squadron Officers’ School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
1999   Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
2004   NATO Defense College, Rome, Italy
2007   Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia

ASSIGNMENTS:

1.  July 1985 - February 1987, Operations Officer, Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 1001, Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas
2.  February 1987 - October 1987, Student, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California
3.  November 1987 - August 1990, Operations Officer, Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 7014, Hahn Air Base, Germany
4.  August 1990 - January 1993, Instructor, US Air Force Special Investigations Academy,  Bolling Air Force Base, Washington DC
5.  January 1993 - January 1996, Commander, Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 222, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas
6.  January - June 1996, Staff Officer, Counterintelligence Division, Headquarters Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Bolling Air Force Base, DC
7.  June 1996 - June 1998, Executive to the Commander, Headquarters Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Bolling Air Force Base, DC
8.  June 1998 - June 1999, Student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
9.  June 1999 - March 2000, Staff Officer, Deputy Directorate for Combating Terrorism, the Joint Staff, Pentagon, DC
10. March 2000 - October 2000, Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director for Combating Terrorism, the Joint Staff, Pentagon, DC
11. October 2000 - June 2001, Executive Assistant to the Vice Director for Operations, and Deputy Executive Assistant to the Director for Operations, the Joint Staff, Pentagon, DC
12. July 2001 – October 2002, Commander, Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 522, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey
13. October 2002 – May 2003, Deputy Commander, 39th Mission Support Group, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey
14. June 2003 – August 2003, Director of Staff, 39th Air Base Group, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey
15. September 2003 – January 2004, Chief, Counterterrorism Branch, Combined Joint Task Force – Seven, Baghdad, Iraq
16. February 2004 – July 2004, Student, NATO Defense College, Rome, Italy
17. July 2004 – June 2006, Strategy & Policy Planner, US Military Delegation, NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium
18. June 2006 – April 2008, Commander, 100th Mission Support Group, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom
19.  April 2008 – March 2009, Student, Joint Military Attaché School, Washington DC
20.  March 2009 – present, United States Air Attaché to Poland

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Iraq Campaign Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:

Second Lieutenant        May 29, 1985
First Lieutenant            May 29, 1987
Captain                       May 29, 1989
Major                          February 1, 1997
Lieutenant Colonel         September 1, 2001
Colonel                        March 1, 2006