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Alexus Grynkewich
U.S. Air Force general From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alexus Gregory Grynkewich (call-sign "Grynch") is a United States Air Force general who has served as the commander of the United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe since 2025. He was previously the director for operations of the Joint Staff from 2024 to 2025. Before that, he had been the commander of the Ninth Air Force from 2022 to 2024 and the director of operations of the U.S. Central Command from 2020 to 2022.
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Grynkewich was commissioned from the United States Air Force Academy in 1993. During his career Grynkewich was an F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-22 Raptor pilot, and achieved the U.S. Air Force classification of command pilot by having more than 2,300 flight hours. His senior positions include as commander of the 53rd Wing and as deputy commander for operations of the Operation Inherent Resolve Combined Joint Task Force.
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Early life and education
Alexus Gregory Grynkewich[1] is an American of Belarusian descent. His great-grandfather Ilya Grynkewich immigrated to the United States in 1899 from Minsk, then located in the Russian Empire. His father, Dr. Gregory Wayne Grynkewich (1949–2012), was a scientist and inventor.[2] His mother, Dr. Linda Craine Grynkewich (1950- ), is a scientist, educator, and writer.
Grynkewich graduated from the Georgia Military College Preparatory School in 1989,[3] and was commissioned as a second lieutenant from the United States Air Force Academy in 1993 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in military history. In 1994 Grynkewich also obtained a Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Georgia. From September 1994 to August 1996 he underwent pilot training at the Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma and the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. In addition, his later education included the Squadron Officer School in 1997, the Air Command and Staff College in 2003, the Naval Postgraduate School and the Air War College in 2006, and the Joint Advanced Warfighting School in 2010, among other courses.[4]
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Military career
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In September 1996 he became an F-16 pilot and the squadron chief of training for 18th Fighter Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. He held that role until July 1999, and in the following month Grynkewich was appointed as an F-16 instructor pilot, flight commander, and evaluator in the 421st Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah until December 2001. From January 2002 to January 2003 he was an F-16C instructor pilot and the chief of weapons for 80th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. Starting in February 2003 Grynkewich became an operation test and evaluation instructor pilot for the F-16C and the F-22A at the 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron, then chief of F-22A evaluation for the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group, and director of operations at the 59th Test and Evaluation Squadron. During his time as a pilot, Grynkewich achieved the rating of command pilot and has over 2,300 flight hours.[4]
In September 2005 he began studies at the Naval Postgraduate School, and following graduation, from January to December 2007 he worked at Air Combat Command in several roles. Grynkewich was then the commander of the 49th Operations Support Squadron from January 2008 to June 2009. After that he attended the Joint Advanced Warfighting School, where he received a Master of Science degree. Between July 2010 and May 2012 Grynkewich worked at the Headquarters, U.S. European Command, in Germany, including as the Chief of the Plans Division. From June 2012 he was vice commander of the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and from May 2013 he was commander of the 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.[4][5] In June 2015 Grynkewich was appointed to Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, at The Pentagon, serving as the Chief of the Strategic Planning Integration Division. In that role he was responsible for working on the Air Force's 30-year Resource Allocation Plan.[3][4] In June 2016 he became Deputy Director for Operations, Operations Team Three, at the Joint Staff, and then the Deputy Director, Global Operations, at Operations (J3), Joint Staff.[4]
Between April 2019 and May 2020 he served as Deputy Commander for Operations, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, and as Commander, 9th Air Expeditionary Group.[4] In this role he took part in the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.[6] In June 2020 Grynkewich became the Director of Operations at the United States Central Command, until June 2022, and in the following month he became commander, Ninth Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central.[4][7] As commander of Air Forces Central, Grynkewich oversaw all U.S. air operations in the Middle East, including strikes on Iranian proxy groups and helping intercept the April 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel, the latter happening just days before he turned over command to his successor.[8]
In January 2024, Grynkewich was nominated for assignment as Director for Operations of the Joint Staff.[9][10] He completed his assignment at Central Command in April 2024 and took up the post of Director for Operations at The Pentagon in May.[4] During his tenure, he worked closely on the U.S. support to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War.[11] In June 2025, Grynkewich was nominated for promotion to general and assignment as the commander of United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe.[12][13] He is the first officer in recent history appointed to that position from a three-star role instead of already being a four-star general.[14] Grynkewich took command of EUCOM in a ceremony on July 1, 2025,[15] and became the Supreme Allied Commander Europe on July 4.[16]
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Dates of promotion
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