General Chandler retired from the Air Force in March 2011 after completing more than 36 years on active duty. His last assignment was in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as Vice Chief of Staff, United States Air Force, where he was responsible for formulating Air Force policy and guidance for over 680,000 Airmen including organizing, training and equipping Air Force personnel for worldwide operations. He led Air Force budgeting and resourcing decisions as Chair of the Air Force Council.
General Chandler's assignments as a general officer covered 14 years and included Commander, Pacific Air Forces; duty as Air Force Director of Operations in the Pentagon; Commander, Alaskan Command and 11 AF; Director of Operations at the beginning of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom at Air Combat Command; an additional Pentagon assignment as Director of Operational Plans; Chief of Staff, Allied Air Forces Southern Europe in NATO during the air war over Serbia; and Commander, 56 Fighter Wing, the USAF's largest fighter wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.
He served multiple overseas assignments where he worked closely with air forces of other nations in the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific. As Commander of Pacific Air Forces, he was responsible for approximately 45,000 Air Force members and their families principally in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Japan and the Republic of Korea. He directed operations at nine major bases with approximately 350 aircraft operating primarily from the West Coast of the United States to India.
After beginning his flying career as an instructor pilot in the T‐38, General Chandler flew all models of the F‐15 Eagle with one assignment flying the F‐16 Fighting Falcon. He has flown approximately 3,900 hours and commanded two fighter wings, a support group and a fighter squadron. He also completed staff assignments in the Pentagon, at Pacific Command, Pacific Air Forces, and the Military Training Mission, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A complete military biography on General Chandler is available here.
Before joining Baker Donelson he was Vice President, Business Development and International Programs, at Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, a United Technologies Company. At Pratt and Whitney, he was responsible for domestic and international military sales, assessing U.S. Military requirements and developing business strategies.