Saturday ceremony for Delaware Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Hugh T. Broomall promotion to rank of major general, and announcement of new position at National Guard Bureau

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At a 2:30 p.m. ceremony this Saturday September 18, Brig. Gen. Hugh T. Broomall, the Assistant Adjutant General for Air, Delaware Air National Guard, will be promoted to the rank of major general. Commensurate with this promotion, Maj. Gen. Broomall receives a new appointment to the National Guard Bureau as the special assistant to the director of the Air National Guard.

General Broomall will vacate his current assignment as Deputy Adjutant General, Delaware National Guard, and Assistant Adjutant General for Air, headquarters, Delaware Air National Guard. A successor will be publically announced at a change-of-command ceremony in October.

General Broomall's military career spans over 43 years with the Delaware Air National Guard. General Broomall joined the Delaware ANG in 1967, the first member to join the unit without prior military service and then become a brigadier general, and the first such member to become a major general.

For nearly six and-a-half years General Broomall has commanded the Delaware Air National Guard. In that position he was responsible for providing trained, equipped and mission ready forces in support of federal mobilization requirements and state emergency operations. He developed plans, programs and policies in support of Delaware's C-130 aircraft wing, the 166th Airlift Wing, and maintained liaison with major commands and the National Guard Bureau. Additionally, he assisted the State Adjutant General in commanding the 3,000 Army Guard and Air Guard members of the Delaware National Guard.

From August 2009 to the present General Broomall also served as assistant to the director, Air National Guard, advising on ANG logistics issues and providing oversight for the ANG aircraft fleet with 88 flying units.

In his new position as special assistant to the director of the ANG, General Broomall will provide strategic planning, assist in inter-agency policy development and Congressional liaison. The Air National Guard has more than 106,000 officers and enlisted people. National Guard units are located in 54 states and territories.

Major General Francis Vavala, the Adjutant General of the Delaware National Guard, will preside over the ceremony and pin on General Broomall's new rank. Various senior military leaders from Delaware and the national capital region will attend the ceremony, as well as local civilian dignitaries.

General Vavala said, "In his six years as my deputy and our top leader of the Delaware Air National Guard, Brig. Gen. Hugh Broomall oversaw a team supporting over 1,000 Airmen regularly deployed in combat zones across a spectrum of worldwide Air Force operations. He led his unit as they rebuilt from a 2004 tornado strike which damaged several aircraft and caused tens of millions of dollars in destruction but became a fully functioning, whole unit again. He stood with his unit as they overcame the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure challenge, immediately followed by Hurricane Katrina as the unit rose to the occasion to complete successive demanding weeks of humanitarian relief missions to assist fellow citizens. He fostered the creation and growth of a robust network warfare unit, backed construction of vastly modernized base facilities as the unit maintained the highest levels of service to the State of Delaware. His leadership was demonstrated as the Delaware ANG's only wing received a rating of 'excellent' on their 2009 Air Force Operational Readiness Inspection, and for the two year period of November 1, 2007 to Oct. 31, 2009, the 166th Airlift Wing received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, one of 31 ANG units to receive this award, and the Headquarters, Delaware ANG received the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, one of nine ANG units to receive this award. General Broomall did all of this while building the citizen-support in the local community that is vital to the success of a National Guard unit. And, General Broomall developed and mentored a leadership bench that will help ensure our unit members continue to provide excellent service to state and nation and prevail in future challenges."

"General Broomall's track record clearly indicates his capability to perform well and the capacity to serve at the national level. We are elated that his talents have been recognized by the director of the Air National Guard and that those talents will now be shared throughout the entire force."

General Broomall is a resident of Newark, Delaware, with strong roots in the local area. He was born August 18, 1948 in Wilmington, Del., and graduated from Salesianum High School, Wilmington, Del. in 1966. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business Management from Wilmington College in 1985, a Masters degree in human resources from Wilmington College in 1996, and a Masters Degree in public administration from Wilmington College in 1996.

General Broomall completed Squadron Officer School in 1977, Air Command and Staff College in 1982, National Security Management Course, National Defense University, Washington D.C. in 1985, U.S. Army War College in 1999, Senior Executive Seminar, George C. Marshall Center, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany in 2009, and the Senior Executives in National and International Security program at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2009.

In November 1974, General Broomall was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the Academy of Military Science, McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Knoxville, Tennessee. In May 1990 he accepted command of the 166th Support Group, Delaware ANG. From January 1997 to November 1997, he served in the Congressional Fellowship Program to U.S. Senator William V. Roth, Jr. As a congressional fellow he served as a primary military staff officer supporting the U.S. Senate North Atlantic Treaty Organization Observer Group.

In October 2000, he was appointed the United States Property and Fiscal Officer, a position held until his current assignment in May 2004 as the Deputy Adjutant General for Air, Delaware Air National Guard.

General Broomall resides with his wife Christy in Newark, Delaware, and they have three children and two grandchildren.

Media Contact: Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Matwey
Public Affairs Specialist
166th Airlift Wing, Delaware Air National Guard
Office 302-323-3369, or cell 302-593-2126
E-mail: Benjamin.Matwey@ang.af.mil
September 16, 2010

The 2:30 p.m. ceremony Saturday will be at headquarters, Delaware Air National Guard, located at New Castle Airport, 2600 Spruance Drive, New Castle, DE 19720. Media requested to call by 3:00 p.m. Friday to confirm attendance, but must call no later than Noon Sat. General Broomall is available for interviews upon request.

General Broomall's official biography is available at http://www.ng.mil/ngbgomo/library/bio/41.htm.
Upon request a high-resolution official general officer photo of General Broomall is available via e-mail immediately. Photos of the promotion ceremony will be available upon request to news media next week.

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