Ronald W. Yates

Ronald W. Yates
General Ronald W. Yates
Born	(1938-10-03) October 3, 1938 (age 78) Memphis, Tennessee
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Rank	General
Commands held	Air Force Materiel Command Air Force Systems Command 4950th Test Wing
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal (4)

General Ronald Wilburn Yates (born October 3, 1938) served as Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. As AFMC Commander, Yates was responsible for research, development, test, acquisition and logistics support for the Air Force from 18 specialized centers and 116,000 military and civilian employees around the world.

Yates graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1960. He has served as a test pilot, flying a variety of modified fighter aircraft, as program manager for a variety of weapon systems, and as commander of a test wing. General Yates also served as commander of Air Force Systems Command. He is a command test pilot with more than 4,400 flying hours, and flew 100 combat missions in Southeast Asia. In March 1994 he was inducted into the AFMC Order of the Sword. He retired from active duty on July 1, 1995.