Dr. Albert U. Mitchum Jr. is the Political Advisor to the commander of Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Va. He is the command focal point and principal adviser to the commander and key senior staff on political perspectives, policy analysis and positions on political-military issues. Dr. Mitchum is responsible for contact with other nations for research and data collection on matters of mutual special interest.
Dr. Mitchum has served in positions as political adviser to the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, the commander of NATO's Allied Air Forces Southern Europe, and the commandant of the Air Command and Staff College. He is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha (the National Political Science Honor Society), the Association of Third World Studies, the Southern Center for International Studies, and the National Association of Hispanic Federal Employees, or NAHFE. He has numerous publications on international political security in both English and Spanish. He was appointed in 2007 as a National Representative (panelist) for an ongoing NATO Research Studies on Expeditionary Operations and Psycho-Social Models and Methods in Effects Based Operations and the 2009 published NATO techical report on Characteristics of Expeditionary Operations.
EDUCATION
1971 Bachelor of arts degree in modern languages, The Citadel, Charleston, S.C.
1983 Master of science degree in management, Troy State University, Troy, Ala.
1995 Master's in national defense, Institute of Advanced Education, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1995 Doctorate degree in political science, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. 1991 - 1993, Chief, National Security Policy and Regional Studies, Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2. 1993 - 1994, Dean, Non-Resident Programs, Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
3. 1994 - 1995, international fellow, National Defense University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
4. 1995, Chief, International Affairs (rear) during AFSOUTH planning and deployment of the International Stabilization Force, or IFOR
5. 1995 - 1998, international staff officer, Allied Air Forces Southern Europe (NATO), Naples, Italy
6. 1996, deployed as Chief, NATO liaison to United Nations Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja, and Western Sirmium, Croatia (UNTAES)
7. 1998 - 2001, Political Advisor to the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany during the Air War over Serbia, or AWOS
8. 2000, political adviser, Operation Shining Hope, Albania
9. 2000, political adviser, Mozambique Flood Relief and for Cameroon medical exercise
10. 2001 - Present, Political Adviser to the commander of Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Va., during Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
AWARDS AND HONORS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
United Nations Medal
NATO Medal
(Current as of May 2010)