Major General Kerry Muehlenbeck is now the Arizona Adjutant General
Maj. Gen. Kerry L. Muehlenbeck is the Adjutant General of Arizona and Director of the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of Arizona’s Army and Air National Guard, Joint Programs, and the Division of Emergency Management. She leads an 8,300- member department, of which 2,400 are fulltime federal military and civilian personnel, and 600 are fulltime state employees. Prior to this assignment, Maj. Gen. Muehlenbeck served as the Deputy Adjutant General and Commander, Joint Task Force Arizona, Joint Force Headquarters, Arizona National Guard.
General Muehlenbeck received her commission by direct appointment in 1993. She remained on active duty for four years where she served as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona until her separation in 1997. General Muehlenbeck then joined the Arizona Air National Guard in 1997 and served as both a wing-level and headquarters staff judge advocate. In addition, she held various national level judge advocate billets, to include Director of the Contemporary Base Issues Course, State Headquarters Liaison to The Judge Advocate General’s Air National Guard Council, and Air National Guard Assistant to the Command Staff Judge Advocate, Pacific Air Forces. She has contributed articles for the Air National Guard Commander’s Legal Deskbook and lectured at various Air Force and Air National Guard courses.
EDUCATION
- 1989 Bachelor of Science in Social Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- 1992 Juris Doctorate (J.D.), Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
- 1997 Master of Laws (LL.M.), Criminal Law, University of San Diego, San Diego, California
- 2000 Squadron Officer School (SOS), by correspondence
- 2003 Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), by correspondence
- 2004 Air War College (AWC), by seminar
- 2010 Doctor of Philosophy, Justice Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
ASSIGNMENTS
- January 1993 – January 1997, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, 355th Wing, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona.
- January 1997 – September 1997, Obligated Reserve, Air Force Reserve Personnel Center, Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado
- October 1997 – September 2002, Deputy Staff Judge Advocate 161st Air Refueling Wing, Phoenix, Arizona
- September 2002 – January 2005, Staff Judge Advocate 161st Air Refueling Wing, Phoenix, Arizona
- January 2005 – July 2013, Staff Judge Advocate, Arizona Air National Guard, Joint Force Headquarters, Phoenix, Arizona
- July 2013 – December 2013, Air National Guard Assistant to the Pacific Air Forces Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
- December 2013 – February 2014, Deputy Director, Joint Staff, Joint Force Headquarters, Phoenix, Arizona
- February 2014- January 2018, Joint Task Force Commander, Joint Force Headquarters, Phoenix, Arizona
- January 2018- February 2019, Deputy Adjutant General and Director of Administrative Services, Joint Force Headquarters, Phoenix, Arizona
- April 2021 – Present, The Adjutant General, Arizona National Guard, Phoenix, Arizona
AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
- Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster
- Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters
- Air and Space Commendation Medal
- Joint Meritorious Unit Award
- Air and Space Organizational Excellence Award
- Combat Readiness Medal
- Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
- National Defense Service Medal with Service Star
- Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with Service Star
- Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
- Nuclear Defense Operations Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
- Air and Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon
- Air and Space Longevity Service Award with five Oak Leaf Clusters
- Armed Forces Reserve Medal with two Hourglass Devices and one M Device
- Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Pistol)
- Air and Space Training Ribbon with Oak Leaf Cluster
- Arizona Meritorious Service Ribbon
- Arizona Exceptionally Long Service Medal
- Arizona Long Service Medal with three Service Stars
- Arizona Service Ribbon with two Service Stars
- Arizona Overseas Training Ribbon
- Arizona Community Service Ribbon
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
- Major General Robert I. Gruber Excellence in Teaching Award
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
- First Lieutenant Dec. 28, 1992
- Captain Jul. 28, 1993
- Major Oct. 25, 1998
- Lieutenant Colonel Nov. 17, 2002
- Colonel Apr. 29, 2008
- Brigadier General May 10, 2014
- Major General Jul. 23, 2021