Our People
Lt. General Carl E. Franklin
USAF (ret), Strategic Partner
Carl E. Franklin retired from the United States Air Force in 1998 after 33 1/2
years service to the Nation. In his final assignment, he was the commander of
Ninth Air Force and US Central Command Air Forces, where he served as the Air
Component Commander for CENTCOM with responsibility for joint and coalition air
operations in Southwest Asia, including command and control of daily operations
over Iraq. As Commander 9th Air Force, he was responsible for all Air Combat
Command wings in the Southeastern US, including basing of some 350 aircraft and
36,000 military and civilian personnel.
General Franklin commanded a fighter test squadron, a tactical reconnaissance
wing, and the US Air Warfare Center. As a general officer, he was Chief of Staff
for Plans and Policy, Headquarters UKAIR, a major NATO Command, where he
directed an international staff with officers from eight nations. Subsequently,
he was Director of Plans and Programs, US Air Forces Europe with responsibility
for downsizing the Command from eight wings to three and the closure of bases
throughout the Europe. He served two tours at HQ USAF where he twice directed
AF’s internal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission decision process on
behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff, chairing the Base
Closure Executive Group, a group of 12 general officer/senior executive service
civilians charged with evaluating all AF installations and submitting
recommendations for closure.
In August 1995 he was assigned as e the first permanent commander of the Joint
Task Force Southwest Asia (JTFSWA) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Working directly for
the Commander in Chief US Central Command (CENTCOM), he was responsible for all
US and coalition air force operations enforcing the United Nations sanctioned No
Fly Zone over Iraq. In this command, he developed strong rapport with Gulf
Cooperation Council political leaders, military commanders, and US Ambassadors
throughout the Gulf Region.
General Franklin remains actively involved in US and international
defense-related endeavors as a consultant and advisor to numerous defense
corporations, communities, and State governments. He served as an ad hoc member
of the USAF Scientific Advisory Board’s Battlespace Infosphere Joint Aspects
Panel, a senior advisor for DARPA’s Command Post of the Future program, and a
member of the DoD/AF Science Board’s Committee on Aerospace Propulsion for
hypersonic flight, space launch, and space travel.
As a strategic partner of Madison Government Affairs (MGA), he is actively
involved in community support of military installations on behalf of state and
local governments in their efforts to evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and to
implement measures to maintain and enhance value to the Department of Defense as
missions, requirements, and resources change. He was instrumental in MGA’s
comprehensive work for the States of Florida and New Mexico, and the cities of
Fairfield CA, Alamogordo NM, Montgomery AL, and the Economic Development Council
of Florida’s Space Coast. He played a pivotal role in the development and
execution of strategy to retain the Naval Ordnance Test Unit at Cape Canaveral
during BRAC 2005. His support has been central in developing relationships with
staffs and senior leaders at the local installation level, at Major Command
Headquarters, and in the Pentagon.