Colonel Robert P. Palmer is the mobilization assistant to the Air Force Director of Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He is responsible for providing public affairs policy and communications strategies to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force and other senior Air Force leaders on critical issues including recruiting, readiness, operations, force structure, and personnel.
Colonel Palmer was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army National Guard through Army ROTC at The Citadel. In 2003, he transferred to the Air Force Reserve and was assigned as an Individual Mobilization Augmentee at Headquarters, Air Mobility Command. In 2004, Colonel Palmer began his first Active Guard Reserve (AGR) tour as the Chief of Strategic Communications for the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and held subsequent AGR assignments at United States Northern Command, the Air Staff, and Air Force Reserve Command. In 2015, Colonel Palmer left the AGR program to return to the Individual Reserve program.
Colonel Palmer is a Joint Qualified Officer and was previously assigned as a Special Assistant for Public Affairs in the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In his civilian capacity, he is the vice president of government relations for a health insurance company.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Arts in political science, The Citadel, Charleston, S.C.
1998 Master of Public Affairs, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Ind.
1998 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (non-resident)
2003 Master of Arts in international affairs, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Medford, Mass.
2005 Air Command Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (non-resident)
2006 Advanced Joint Professional Military Education, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2008 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (non-resident)
2008 Capitol Hill Legislative Fellowship Program, The Government Affairs Institute, Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
2016 Reserve Component National Security Course, National War College, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1990 – July 1993, Fire Direction Officer, Battery C, 3rd Battalion, 139th Field Artillery, INARNG, Danville, Ind.
2. July 1993 – April 1994, Fire Support Officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 293rd Infantry, INARNG, Logansport, Ind.
3. April 1994 – Oct. 1996, Briefing Officer, Det. 1, 126th Press Camp Headquarters, INARNG, Indianapolis, Ind.
4. Oct. 1996 – Dec. 1998, Commander, Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 139th Field Artillery, INARNG, Lafayette, Ind.
5. Dec. 1998 – Oct. 2000, Aide de Camp to the Adjutant General of Indiana, INARNG, Indianapolis, Ind.
6. Oct. 2000 – Feb. 2002, Commander, Det. 1, 126th Press Camp Headquarters, INARNG, Indianapolis, Ind. (deployed for six months to Bosnia-Herzegovina as media operations officer for SFOR 9)
7. Feb. 2002 – March 2003, Assistant Fire Support Coordinator, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 38th Division Artillery, INARNG, Indianapolis, Ind.
8. March 2003 – June 2003, Public Affairs Officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 38th Infantry Division, INARNG, Indianapolis, Ind.
9. June 2003 – Dec. 2003, Control Group, U.S. Army Reserve, St. Louis, Mo.
10. Dec. 2003 – Dec. 2004, IMA to the Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Headquarters, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. (activated for four months to backfill the chief of public affairs, 509th Bomb Wing)
11. Dec. 2004 – July 2007, Chief of Strategic Communications, National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Washington, D.C. (deployed to Southwest Asia for four months to serve as the chief of media operations for USCENTAF-FWD)
12. July 2007 – Dec. 2008, Air Force Legislative Fellow, Office of the Air Force Reserve, detailed to the office of Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Washington, D.C.
13. Jan. 2009 – Jan. 2012, Legislative Affairs Officer and later, Deputy Director, Legislative Affairs Directorate, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Washington, D.C.
14. Jan. 2012 – June 2012, Special Assistant, Strategy and Assessments Division, Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C.
15. June 2012 – Aug. 2015, Director of Public Affairs, Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Ga.
16. Aug. 2015 – Feb. 2017, IMA to the Chief of Public Affairs, United States Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
17. Feb. 2017 – June 2018, Special Assistant for Public Affairs, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.
18. June 2018 – Present, Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. Dec. 2004 – July 2007, Chief of Strategic Communications, National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Washington, D.C.
2. Jan. 2009 – Jan. 2012, Legislative Affairs Officer and later, Deputy Director, Legislative Affairs Directorate, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Washington, D.C.
3. Aug. 2015 – Feb. 2017, IMA to the Chief of Public Affairs, United States Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
4. February 2017 – June 2018, Special Assistant for Public Affairs, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold border
Air Force Longevity Service with three oak leaf clusters
Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 'M' Device
Army Service Ribbon
NATO Medal
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS
Air Force Association
The Honorable Order of St. Barbara
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1999 Indianapolis Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty”
2002 Indianapolis Business Journal’s “Who’s Who in Construction and Engineering”
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 12, 1990
First Lieutenant June 1, 1993
Captain June 5, 1997
Major June 1, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel, August 2, 2007
Colonel, June 25, 2012
(Current as of August 2018)