Brig. Gen. Ricky L. Mills is the Director of Intelligence, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. He is the senior intelligence officer and principal intelligence advisor to the USSTRATCOM Commander and directs all intelligence functions necessary to ensure strategic deterrence and nuclear command and control in both peace time and crisis operations.
Brig. Gen. Mills grew up in an Air Force family and entered the Air Force in 1995 as a graduate of Texas A&M University. He is a career intelligence officer with extensive operational and combat experience and has commanded at the squadron, group, and wing levels. The general’s staff assignments include the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Headquarters Air Force, and Air Combat Command. Brig. Gen. Mills has 1,497 combat hours including over 200 combat sorties on various aircraft to include the RC-135, P-3, RC-26, U-28, and C-208.
Prior to his current position, Brig. Gen. Mills served as the Commandant, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
EDUCATION
1994 Bachelor of Business Administration in Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
1995 Distinguished Graduate, Intelligence Officer Course, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
2000 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Master of Arts in Organizational Management, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
2007 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2009 Air War College, by correspondence
2013 Master of Strategic Studies, National Security Policy Program, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
2017 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, Chapel Hill, N.C.
2020 National and International Security Leadership Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1995 - March 1996, Student, Intelligence Officer Training, 315th Training Squadron,
Goodfellow AFB, Texas
2. March 1996 - February 1998, Watch Officer, 301st Intelligence Squadron, Misawa AB, Japan
3. April 1998 - April 1999, Chief of Intelligence, 35th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea
4. April 1999 - April 2001, Executive Officer to Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters Allied Air Forces Southern Europe, Naples, Italy
5. June 2001 - June 2002, Chief, Theater Missile Operations, 607th Combat Operations Squadron, Osan AB, Republic of Korea
6. June 2002 - June 2003, Air Force Intern, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington D.C.
7. September 2003 - September 2005, Assistant Director of Operations, 488th Intelligence Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
8. October 2005 - August 2007, Chief, Airborne ISR Operations Branch, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
9. August 2007 - June 2009, Director of Operations, Data Masked
10. June 2009 - July 2011, Commander, 390th Intelligence Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
11. August 2011 - June 2012, Executive Officer to Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington D.C.
12. July 2012 - June 2013, Student, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
13. July 2013 - June 2015, Deputy Chief, Strategy Division and Chief, Strategy Division, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Camp Smith, Hawaii
14. June 2015 - July 2017, Commander, 707th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, Fort Meade, Md.
15. July 2017 - August 2019, Commander, 17th Training Wing, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
16. August 2019 - June 2021, Commandant, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
17. June 2021 - Present, Director of Intelligence, United States Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with bronze star
Iraq Campaign Medal with bronze star
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant March 14, 1995
First Lieutenant March 14, 1997
Captain March 14, 1999
Major June 1, 2005
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2009
Colonel October 1, 2014
Brigadier General (frocked)
Link: Biography in .pdf
(Current as of June 2021)