Thomas C. Waskow

Lieutenant General Thomas C. Waskow is a retired United States Air Force officer who last served as Commander, United States Forces Japan and Commander, 5th Air Force from November 2001 to April 2005. During that assignment, he was the senior U.S. military representative in Japan and Commander of U.S. Air Force units in Japan.

Waskow received his commission upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970, and he served as a forward air controller and instructor pilot early in his career. During the Vietnam War, he was assigned as a forward air controller at Ban Me Thout and Tan Son Nhut, Vietnam, where he flew 282 combat missions over South Vietnam and Cambodia. Selected to fly the F-15 Eagle early in its operational deployment, he has flown all models and variants of the air-to-air F-15. He has held command at all levels—fighter squadron, wing and numbered air force. Prior to assuming his final position, he was director of air and space operations, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces. On September 11, 2001, he was designated the Area Air Defense Commander for the Hawaii Air Defense Region and was responsible for the air sovereignty of the state of Hawaii.

Waskow is a command pilot with more than 4,700 flying hours, including 904 combat hours and more than 2,200 hours in the F-15 Eagle. In addition to significant combat experience in Vietnam, Waskow commanded the 42nd Air Base Wing at Maxwell Air Force Base. Waskow contributed extensively to contingency operations Deny Flight and Silver Wake in the Balkans, Noble Eagle in Hawaii in 2001, and Unified Assistance in Japan in 2005.