Maj. Gen. Matthew J. Burger is the Deputy to the Chief of Air Force Reserve, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He assists the Chief of Air Force Reserve who serves as the Principal Adviser on Reserve matters to the Secretary of the Air Force and Air Force Chief of Staff. He facilitates matters pertaining to the oversight of Air Force Reserve appropriations for personnel, operations and maintenance, and construction programs for a force of more than 70,000 personnel. As Deputy, he often represents the Chief with other Air Staff agencies in the formulation and development of plans, policies and programs affecting the Air Force Reserve. Maj. Gen. Burger assists the Chief in developing the organizational architecture of the Air Force Reserve in accordance with wartime requirements and budget realities. During mobilization, he advises Air Force officials on capabilities and issues related to mobilization of the Air Force Reserve to plans and policies for recall.
Maj. Gen. Burger began his career upon graduation from the Air Force Academy in 1990 followed by undergraduate helicopter training at Fort Rucker Army Airfield, Alabama. He served in the Air Force as an HH-1 Instructor Pilot and Chief of Safety with the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. After nearly 10 years on active duty, he received a Reserve appointment and joined the 301st Rescue Squadron, Patrick AFB, Florida. A career Instructor Pilot and Evaluator, Maj. Gen. Burger is a command pilot with more than 4,500 flying hours in the C-17, KC-135, HH-60G, HH-1H, and T-1.
Maj. Gen. Burger has held numerous staff and command positions, including tours on Department of the Air Force staff and both operations group and wing command tours. Prior to his current position, Maj. Gen. Burger served as the Deputy Commander, Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Georgia.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Science, Human Factors Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1992 Aircraft Mishap Investigation Course, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
1995 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2007 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2008 Air Force Chief of Safety Course, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
2010 Mobility Commanders Tactics Course, St. Joseph Air National Guard Base, Mo.
2012 Advanced Joint Professional Military Education (JPME-II), Joint Qualified Officer level III certified, Norfolk, Va.
2012 Director of Mobility Forces, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
2014 Master of Business Administration, Trident University, Cypress, Calif.
2015 NATO Senior Officer Policy Course, Oberammergau, Germany
2018 NATO Senior Reserve Officers Course, Oberammergau, Germany
2019 Leadership Decision Making Course, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1990–June 1991, Undergraduate Helicopter Training, 3588th Flight Training Squadron, Fort Rucker Army Airfield, Ala.
2. June 1991–April 1995, Chief of Safety and Instructor Pilot, 37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron, Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D.
3. April 1995–February 1998, Chief of Current Operations and Squadron Standardization and Evaluation Instructor Pilot, 66th Combat Rescue Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
4. February 1998–December 1999, Chief of Group Standardization and Evaluation, 85th Operations Group, Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland
5. December 1999–November 2005, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation and Assistant Director of Operations, 301st Rescue Squadron, Patrick AFB, Fla.
6. November 2005–September 2007, Combat Rescue Functional Manager, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Ga.
7. September 2007–September 2009, Chief of Safety, 459th Air Refueling Wing, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
8. September 2009–July 2010, Director of Operations, 459th Operations Support Flight, JB Andrews, Md.
9. July 2010–November 2011, Commander, 459th Operations Group, JB Andrews, Md.
10. November 2011–January 2013, Commander, 349th Operations Group, Travis AFB, Calif.
11. January 2013–August 2015, Commander, 349th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
12. August 2015–July 2017, Chief, Programs and Requirements Division, Office of the Air Force Reserve, Washington, D.C.
13. July 2017–March 2019, Commander, 452nd Air Mobility Wing, March Air Reserve Base, Calif.
14. March 2019–July 2019, Commander, Air Force Reserve Command Force Generation Center, Robins AFB, Ga.
15. July 2019–July 2020, Director of Air, Space, and Information Operations, Headquarters AFRC, Robins AFB, Ga.
16. July 2020–July 2022, Deputy Commander, AFRC, Robins AFB, Ga.
17. July 2022–present, Deputy to the Chief of Air Force Reserve, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,500 hours
Aircraft flown: T-1, UH-1, HH-1, HH-60G, KC-135R, and C-17
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with bronze oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with silver oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal with three silver oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air Force Overseas Ribbon Short
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold border
Air Force Longevity Service Award with four bronze oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with mobilization device
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Rifle)
Air Force Training Ribbon
Jolly Green Association Rescue of the Year 1996
ACC Flight Safety Award of Distinction
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 30, 1990
First Lieutenant May 30, 1992
Captain May 30, 1994
Major April 25, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 17, 2006
Colonel March 2, 2011
Brigadier General Dec. 12, 2018
Major General April 29, 2021
(Current as of August 2022)