Maj. Gen. Daniel McDonough is Assistant Adjutant General - Air for the Illinois Air National Guard. As the Commander of the Illinois Air National Guard, he is responsible for the command, control and operations of plans and programs affecting nearly 3,000 Illinois Air Guard Personnel located at Scott Air Force Base, Peoria and Springfield, Illinois. His broad range of responsibilities include ensuring combat readiness and mission capability of three major air bases comprised of flying wings, command and control facilities, logistics, and mission support units, while providing combat trained personnel to meet all United States Air Force mission requirements. He also supervises a full-time force of over 900 Federal and State employees.
Maj. Gen. McDonough received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Administration from Indiana State University. He graduated from the Academy of Military Science and was commissioned in May of 1987. He was mission ready in the OA-37 Dragonfly, F-16 Fighting Falcon and C-130E and C-130H Hercules. He deployed as a C-130 aircraft commander five times in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi
Freedom, as well as four times to command the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
Maj. Gen. McDonough is a Command Pilot, Instructor and Evaluator with over 5,600 total flying hours and nearly 700 combat and combat support hours. He served as the Air National Guard Operations Group Commander Council chairman. He commanded at the Flight, Squadron, Group, Wing and State level. Prior to his current assignment, he commanded the 182nd Airlift Wing, Peoria, Illinois Air National Guard.
EDUCATION
1983 Associate Degree, General Studies, Illinois Central College, East Peoria
1985 Bachelor of Science, Aviation Administration, Indiana State University, Terre Haute
1993 F-16 Flight Instructor Course, Tucson ANGB, Ariz.
1996 C-130 Flight Instructor Course, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
1997 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2005 Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2012 Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2018 Commander Development Course, National Guard Bureau, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2023 Dual Status Commander Qualification Program, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colo.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1987–May 1988, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
2. May 1988–October 1991, Forward Air Controller, 169th Tactical Air Support Squadron, Peoria, Illinois
3. October 1991–October 1994, F-16A/B Fighter Pilot, 169th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Peoria, Illinois
4. October 1994–June 1997, Assistant Flight Commander, 169th Airlift Squadron, Peoria, Illinois
5. June 1997–October 1999, Operations Officer, 169th Airlift Squadron, Peoria, Illinois
6. October 1999–May 2005, Flight Commander, 169th Airlift Squadron, Peoria, Illinois
7. May 2005–March 2006, Commander, 169th Airlift Squadron, Peoria, Illinois
8. March 2006–November 2017, Commander, 182nd Operations Group, Peoria, Illinois
9. December 2006-Feb 2007, Commander, 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan
10. August 2008-October 2008, Commander, 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan
11. April 2010-July 2010, Commander, 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan
12. Jan 2012-Mar 2012, Commander, 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan
13. November 2017–June 2022, Commander, 182nd Airlift Wing, Peoria, Illinois
14. June 2022–Present, Assistant Adjutant General – Air, Illinois Air National Guard, Camp Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 5,600 (including more than 475 combat hours)
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, OA-37, AT-38B, F-16A/B, C-130E/H3
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Air Force Combat Action Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 21, 1987
First Lieutenant July 12, 1989
Captain July 12, 1991
Major April 1, 1997
Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 2004
Colonel Jan. 24, 2014
Brigadier General May 30, 2022
Major General 31 July, 2024
(CURRENT AS OF AUGUST 2024)