| Post: | National Commander |
| Body: | Civil Air Patrol |
| Flag: | Flag of the National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol.svg |
| Flagcaption: | Flag of the National Commander |
| Incumbent: | Major General Regena M. Aye |
| Incumbentsince: | 17 August 2024 |
| Department: | Civil Air Patrol |
| Style: | National Commander |
| Status: | Chief executive officer |
| Abbreviation: | CAP/CC |
| Member Of: | CAP Command Council CAP Senior Advisory Group |
| Appointer: | CAP Board of Governors |
| Termlength: | Three years, |
| Termlength Qualified: | can be extended |
| Constituting Instrument: | CAP Constitution and Bylaws[1] |
| First: | Maj Gen John F. Curry, USAAF |
| Deputy: | National Vice Commander of the Civil Air Patrol |
The National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol (acronym: CAP/CC) is the highest senior official and commanding officer of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) — a non-profit corporation that is congressionally chartered to operate as the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. The National Commander also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of CAP.
The National Commander works in close collaboration with Civil Air Patrol–U.S. Air Force (CAP-USAF), a U.S. Air Force command whose commander is responsible for overseeing CAP programs, liaison between the CAP and U.S. Air Force and other United States Government agencies, and ensuring U.S. Air Force and other U.S. Government support to CAP.[2]
From its creation on 1 December 1941 until 31 August 1975, the National Commander of CAP was an appointed active duty commissioned officer — typically a general officer — of the United States Army Air Forces (until September 1947) or the United States Air Force (after it became an independent service in September 1947). This National Commander was usually the sitting Civil Air Patrol-United States Air Force Commander.
Upon adoption of the CAP Constitution and Bylaws on 26 May 1948, the CAP was incorporated and officially became the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and the CAP National Board was redesignated as the National Executive Board (NEB).
CAP Colonel George Andress Stone was the sitting CAP National Board Chairman, therefore became the Chairman of the NEB. Colonel Stone died in an aircraft accident while returning home from a NEB meeting in August 1948. Retired U.S. Air Force General Carl A. Spaatz assumed the position of Chairman about a week after Colonel Stone's death, and is widely regarded as the first Chairman.[3] The board became the National Executive Committee (NEC) on 26 April 1960, with the position of Chairman continuing to serve as the head of CAP. The Chairman continued to answer to the National Commander, who was still the CAP-USAF Commander.
On 1 September 1975, the position of Chairman of the National Board was redesignated as National Commander, held by an active civilian CAP member with the CAP rank of brigadier general,[4] with only sitting and former national commanders who served in the position on or after 1 September 1975 holding the CAP rank of brigadier general.[4] The former U.S. Air Force-appointed National Commander position was redesignated as the Executive Director of the CAP. On 8 March 1995, during a reorganization of CAP National Headquarters, the title of Executive Director was changed to Senior Air Force Advisor.
On 1 December 2002, the National Commander position was elevated to the rank of major general, with the national vice commander becoming a brigadier general.[4] Current and former national commanders who held the position after 1 December 2002 are the only CAP members who hold the CAP rank of major general.[4] Former National Commanders who held the position prior to 1 December 2002 and sitting National Vice Commanders and those who held the position of National Vice Commander on or after 1 December 2002 are the only CAP members who hold the CAP rank of brigadier general.[4]
Since 2012, the National Commander of the CAP also has served as the chief executive officer of the CAP Corporation.
The current National Commander of the Civil Air Patrol is Major General Regena M. Aye.
Civil Air Patrol-United States Air Force (CAP-USAF) is the U.S. Air Force command responsible for ensuring the CAP is organized, trained, and equipped to fulfill Air Force-assigned missions.[2] Operating alongside the CAP's civilian leadership, CAP-USAF provides day-to-day support, advice, and liaison to the CAP’s more than 60,000 members and provides oversight for CAP programs, with emphasis on safety and program requirements.[2] CAP-USAF personnel are also the primary function interface between other federal agencies and the CAP.[2]
CAP-USAF was established on 28 August 1948[5] under the U.S. Air Force Headquarters. CAP-USAF was transferred to Continental Air Command on 1 January 1959. Following Continental Air Command's inactivation in 1968, CAP-USAF was realigned back to U.S. Air Force Headquarters.On 1 July 1976, CAP-USAF was realigned under Air University. It would become aligned under Air University's Jeanne M. Holm Officer Accession and Citizen Development Center on 11 June 2009. On 16 June 2016, it would be realigned to the First Air Force under Air Combat Command, as part of an effort to better integrate CAP as a Total Force Member.[6]
As of 2020, CAP-USAF was staffed with approximately 200 active-duty, United States Air Force Reserve, and civilian personnel at CAP National Headquarters at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base with locations in: New Jersey (Detachment 1, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst), Maryland (Detachment 2, Joint Base Andrews), Ohio (Detachment 3, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), Georgia (Detachment 4, Dobbins Air Reserve Base), Minnesota (Detachment 5), Texas (Detachment 6), Colorado (Detachment 7, Peterson Space Force Base), California (Detachment 8, Beale Air Force Base), and Florida.
CAP-USAF currently runs a program known as the Civil Air Patrol Reserve Assistance Program (CAPRAP). This program is for Category E Reservists, those who participate for reserve "points" towards retirement but without pay, to act as a liaison between the Air Force and local CAP units. Individual Mobilization Augmentees and Traditional Reservists (two other reserve categories) are also eligible to participate in the program as a way to earn additional "points".[7]
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| U.S Army Air Forces / U.S. Air Force CAP National Commanders (1941-1948)[8] | ||||||
| 1 | Maj Gen, USAAF John F. Curry [9] | 1 December 1941 | 10 March 1942 | |||
| 2 | Brig Gen, USAAF Earle L. Johnson [10] | 10 March 1942 | 16 February 1947 | |||
| 3 | Brig Gen, USAAF Frederic H. Smith Jr. [11] | 16 February 1947 | 30 September 1947 | |||
| 4 | Maj Gen, USAF Lucas V. Beau [12] | 1 October 1947 | 26 May 1948 | |||
| Chairman of the CAP National Executive Board (1948–1960) | ||||||
| 5 | Col George A. Stone [13] | 26 May 1948 | 20 August 1948 | |||
| 6 | Gen, USAF (Ret) Carl A. Spaatz [14] | 26 August 1948 | 27 April 1959 | |||
| 7 | Col David H. Byrd [15] | 28 April 1959 | 26 April 1960 | |||
| Chairman of the CAP National Executive Committee (1960–1975) | ||||||
| 8 | Col William C. Whelen | 26 April 1960 | 8 September 1962 | |||
| 9 | Col Paul W. Turner | 8 September 1962 | 30 October 1965 | |||
| 10 | Brig Gen Lyle W. Castle | 30 October 1965 | 18 October 1968 | |||
| 11 | Brig Gen Frank W. Reilly | 18 October 1968 | 10 October 1970 | |||
| 12 | Brig Gen Samuel H. du Pont Jr. | 10 October 1970 | 14 October 1973 | |||
| 13 | Brig Gen William M. Patterson | 14 October 1973 | 18 September 1975 | |||
| CAP National Commander (1975–present) | ||||||
| 13 | Brig Gen William M. Patterson | 18 September 1975 | 19 September 1976 | |||
| 14 | Brig Gen Thomas C. Casaday [16] | 19 September 1976 | 30 September 1979 | |||
| 15 | Brig Gen Johnnie Boyd [17] [18] | 30 September 1979 | 14 August 1982 | |||
| 16 | Brig Gen Howard L. Brookfield [19] | 14 August 1982 | 4 August 1984 | |||
| 17 | Brig Gen William B. Cass [20] | 4 August 1984 | 22 March 1986 | |||
| 18 | Maj Gen[21] Eugene E. Harwell [22] | 22 March 1986 | 11 August 1990 | |||
| 19 | Brig Gen Warren J. Barry [23] | 11 August 1990 | 14 August 1993 | |||
| 20 | Brig Gen Richard L. Anderson | 14 August 1993 | 10 August 1996 | |||
| 21 | Brig Gen Paul M. Bergman [24] | 10 August 1996 | 6 March 1998 | |||
| 22 | Brig Gen James C. Bobick | 6 March 1998 | 18 August 2001 | |||
| 23 | Maj Gen Richard L. Bowling | 18 August 2001 | 21 August 2004 | |||
| 24 | Maj Gen Dwight H. Wheless | 21 August 2004 | 1 July 2005[25] | |||
| 25 | Maj Gen (Revoked) Antonio J. Pineda | 1 July 2005 | 2 October 2007 | |||
| 26 | Maj Gen Amy Courter | 2 October 2007 | 7 August 2008 | |||
| 7 August 2008 | 17 August 2011 | |||||
| 27 | Maj Gen Charles L. Carr Jr. | 17 August 2011[26] | 15 August 2014 | |||
| 28 | Maj Gen Joseph Vazquez | 15 August 2014[27] | 2 September 2017 | |||
| 29 | Maj Gen Mark E. Smith | 2 September 2017[28] | 26 August 2021 | |||
| 30 | Maj Gen Edward D. Phelka | 26 August 2021[29] | 17 August 2024 | 2 years | ||
| 31 | Maj GenRegena M. Aye | 17 August 2024 | Incumbet | 4 days | ||
U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force National Commanders of the CAP prior to its 1948 incorporation are considered part of the lineage of the command history of CAP-USAF.