Charles F. Wald

Charles F. Wald is a retired United States Air Force general and former Deputy Commander of United States European Command. Wald earned his commission through the Air Force ROTC program in 1971. He has combat time as an O-2A forward air controller in Vietnam and as an F-16 pilot flying over Bosnia. He has served as a T-37 instructor pilot and F-15 flight commander. 

His other duties included chief of the U.S. Air Force Combat Terrorism Center, support group commander, operations group commander, and special assistant to the Chief of Staff for National Defense Review. He was also the director of strategic planning and policy at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and he served on the Joint Staff as the vice director for strategic plans and policy. 

Wald commanded the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy, where in 1995 he led one of the wing's initial strike packages against the ammunition depot at Pale, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in one of the first NATO combat operations. He also commanded the 9th Air Force and U.S. Central Command Air Forces, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, where he led the development of the Afghanistan air campaign for Operation Enduring Freedom, including the idea of embedding tactical air control parties in ground special operations forces. Prior to assuming his current position, he was deputy chief of staff for air and space operations at the Pentagon.

Wald, director and senior advisor to the aerospace and defense industry for Deloitte LLP, is responsible for providing senior leadership in strategy and relationships with defense contractors and Department of Defense program executives. He is a subject matter specialist in weapons procurement and deployment, counter terrorism, national, energy and international security policy. Prior to joining Deloitte, Wald was the vice president of international programs for L-3 Communications Corporation, based in Washington, D.C. Wald serves as a co-leader of the National Security Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center.