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New MA to Air University commander emphasizes expeditionary Air Force

  • Published
  • By Carl Poteat
  • Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  The new Mobilization Assistant to Air University Commander Lt. Gen. Allen G. Peck brings 32 years of experience that includes more than 4,000 hours in the F-16, command positions from squadron to wing level, deployments to Southwest Asia, service at the Pentagon, and flying slot for the Thunderbirds, the U.S. Air Force aerial demonstration squadron.

Brig. Gen. Lance D. Undhjem became General Peck's MA in March following a five-month deployment to Southwest Asia where he served as the director of the Combined Air and Space Operations Center for the U.S. Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base.

As MA to the Air University commander, the 1978 Air Force Academy graduate "assists in providing full spectrum education, research, and outreach at every level through professional military education, professional continuing education, and academic degree granting.

General Undhjem said, "This is, and will continue to be, an expeditionary Air Force," and he looked forward to sharing his "lessons learned in the desert" with students of Air University. 

When asked if he had any advice for anyone who had not yet deployed, the general said, "Volunteer and do it! "When you're over there, it will become crystal clear why our Air Force is in such high demand," he said.

While at Al Udeid Air Base, General Undhjem worked with all branches of the U.S. military along with multi-national coalition partners in directing air operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. "All of our coalition partners are doing great work," he said.

"Relationships are formed quickly and are critical in the desert," the general said. He added "total honesty" and "trust in relations" are important in building those relationships.

General Undhjem said honesty and trust, in addition to the Air Force Core Values will serve a young Airman well when beginning an Air Force career. The core values include "Integrity first, Service before self and Excellence in all we do."

"If you don't know where to start, you can't go wrong with Air Force Core Values. If you don't know what you will stand for, then when the pressure is on you won't stand for anything," the general said.

The recipient of the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star, General Undhjem said "great mentorship and leadership" have been key to his career. "We don't succeed by ourselves," he said, remembering his mentors who "kept him from going down that wrong path."

As the senior Reserve officer at Maxwell, General Undhjem said he has seen the Air Reserve Component, or ARC, which includes the Air National Guard, go from the cold war, "strategic" Reserve to the current "operational" Reserve which came about after Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm of 1990 in Southwest Asia.

"For one thing, we are a much smaller force, both the Reserve and active duty," he said.

The general said today's ARC is intergraded in nearly every mission, including fighters, air mobility and the growing number of unmanned aerial vehicles such as the Predator. He also noted the ARC's high participation in global deployments, including frequent participation in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

General Undhjem joined the Air Force Reserve in 1989 after flying the F-16 on active duty as an instructor pilot, a test pilot, a Fighter Weapons school instructor pilot, and a Thunderbird. From 1989 to 1999 he served with the Reserve's 302nd Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz., first as an instructor F-16 pilot and then as assistant director of operations. 

In July of 1999, he took command of the 302nd. Also at Luke, he became commander of the 944th Operations Group in 2001. Again at Luke in 2003, he became the Vice Commander of the 944th Fighter Wing.

In 2005, General Undhjem was assigned as the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Command and Control, and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center at Langley AFB, Va.

In December of 2006, he came to Maxwell as the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Doctrine Center. He left Maxwell in November of 2007 to become the Mobilization Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

When asked about his time as a Thunderbird, General Undhjem said he was part of the demonstration team that performed at Maxwell in 1986. He said his team also was the first to perform at Beijing, China, becoming the first western fighters to fly over China since 1949.

General Undhjem said his most memorable moment as a Thunderbird was not in the air. He said he cannot forget the time he and his crew chief were signing autographs at a children's hospital. He said they bypassed a room where a young boy lay in a coma.  

When walking back up the hallway, the general said they encountered the boy, still in a coma, with his mother. The mother had rolled the boy in the hallway so he would not miss the Thunderbirds, General Undhjem said.

He said they signed autographs for the boy and told the mother, "when he is better, we'll come back."

"It's the people, not the flying, I remember most," the former Thunderbird said.