{"id":29231923,"date":"2026-10-23T10:33:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T08:33:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/michael-wynne-air-force-secretary-fired-gates-2008-obituary\/"},"modified":"2026-10-23T10:34:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T08:34:14","slug":"michael-wynne-air-force-secretary-fired-gates-2008-obituary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/michael-wynne-air-force-secretary-fired-gates-2008-obituary\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Wynne (1944-2026): The Air Force Secretary Robert Gates Fired"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n\n\n\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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Forty-two years later, the younger Wynne would leave the Air Force for the last time, as its civilian head, fired by the Secretary of Defense on the same afternoon as his chief of staff.<\/p><p>Wynne, the 21st Secretary of the Air Force, died on 17 October 2026 at the age of 82, Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine reported on 22 October. He led the service from November 2005 to June 2008, through the Iraq surge, the battle over the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-22-raptor\/\">F-22 Raptor<\/a> and a nuclear-weapons scandal that ended his tenure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:28px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Name:<\/strong> Michael Walter Wynne<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Born:<\/strong> 4 September 1944, Clearwater, Florida<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Died:<\/strong> 17 October 2026, aged 82<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Education:<\/strong> West Point (class of 1966); M.S., Air Force Institute of Technology; MBA, University of Colorado<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Air Force service:<\/strong> 1966 to 1973, leaving as a captain<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Industry:<\/strong> General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin executive<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Secretary of the Air Force:<\/strong> 4 November 2005 to 5 June 2008<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Dismissed by:<\/strong> Defense Secretary Robert Gates, with Gen. T. Michael Moseley<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">An engineer, not a pilot<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Wynne was born in Clearwater, Florida, and graduated from West Point in 1966, but chose the Air Force. His brother Patrick, an F-4C pilot with the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, was shot down over North Vietnam on 8 August 1966; his remains were not returned until 1977. Wynne recalled the timing years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;The day I reported for Active Duty, the report of my brother being shot down was announced.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Michael Wynne<\/strong> &mdash; recalling August 1966, as quoted by Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>He served seven years, earning a master&rsquo;s degree in electrical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and ending as a captain teaching astronautics at the Air Force Academy. Then came more than two decades in industry, mostly at General Dynamics, with a spell at Lockheed Martin. In 2001 he joined Donald Rumsfeld&rsquo;s Pentagon as the number two acquisition official, and he ran the acquisition office as acting under secretary from 2003 to 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wiu0NAZ_8Ag\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Michael Wynne interviewed by Aviation Week while Secretary of the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Fighting for the F-22<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>As Secretary, Wynne argued with his own boss over the shape of the future Air Force. Gates suggested the service could do without more F-22s because the F-35 was coming. Wynne disagreed, telling Air Force Magazine that &ldquo;the F-22 is clearly an air superiority and air dominance weapon&rdquo;, with the F-35 a complement rather than a replacement. He also pushed early for cyberspace to be treated as a warfighting domain, and on his last day in office pointed to the 2007 surge in Iraq, when the Air Force increased its sorties by 400 percent.<\/p><p>His closest ally was Gen. T. Michael &ldquo;Buzz&rdquo; Moseley, the chief of staff. Moseley later said the two had the best relationship he had seen with any of the more than 13 secretaries he worked with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/michael-wynne-air-force-secretary-fired-gates-2008-obituary-img1.jpg\" alt=\"B-52H bomber taking off from Minot Air Force Base in 2007\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A B-52H departs Minot Air Force Base in 2007. On 29-30 August that year, a Minot B-52 flew to Barksdale with six nuclear-armed cruise missiles nobody knew were aboard. (U.S. Air Force photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Six nuclear warheads nobody knew about<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>The crisis that ended his tenure began at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/minot\/\">Minot Air Force Base<\/a> in North Dakota. On 29-30 August 2007, a <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/b-52-stratofortress\/\">B-52<\/a> flew to <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/barksdale\/\">Barksdale Air Force Base<\/a> in Louisiana carrying six AGM-129 cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads, which crews had loaded believing them to be inert. For some 36 hours, nobody realised they were missing. In early 2008 came a second shock: nuclear missile nose-cone fuzes had been shipped to Taiwan in 2006 in place of helicopter batteries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/michael-wynne-air-force-secretary-fired-gates-2008-obituary-img2.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Wynne and Maj. Gen. Richard Newton at a Pentagon press conference in October 2007\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Wynne (left) and Maj. Gen. Richard Newton brief reporters at the Pentagon on 19 October 2007 on the Minot weapons-handling incident. (U.S. Department of Defense photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On 5 June 2008, after a critical report by Admiral Kirkland Donald on the Taiwan shipment, Gates asked for and accepted the resignations of both Wynne and Moseley, citing a decline in the Air Force&rsquo;s nuclear mission focus and performance. Few people inside the building believed that was the whole story. Disputes over budgets, manpower, modernisation and the F-22 had been building for months, and Gates had criticised the services for &ldquo;next-war-itis&rdquo;. According to Lt. Gen. David Deptula, then on the Air Staff, Wynne refused an order to fire Moseley, so Gates fired them both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/u5icUx4SbX0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Robert Gates accepts the resignations of Wynne and Moseley, June 2008 (Associated Press).<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">&ldquo;He put principle above position&rdquo;<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Gates presided at Wynne&rsquo;s departure ceremony and pinned a medal on him. Wynne used his farewell to talk about Airmen rather than aircraft, saying that it is the people of the Air Force that make the Air Force, &ldquo;so in loving the Air Force, we love the people.&rdquo; Weeks later he told Air Force Magazine he would probably get fired again over his objection to joint basing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;He put principle above position, loyalty above personal ambition, and the nation&rsquo;s security above all else.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Lt. Gen. David Deptula (ret.)<\/strong> &mdash; Dean, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, October 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2020 he was appointed to the Air Force Academy&rsquo;s Board of Visitors. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, and four daughters. National War College professor Richard Andres, who spoke with him weekly in the months before the firing, summed up his choice simply: &ldquo;He cared more about what the nation needed than about keeping his job.&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jdYCg6_0zWk\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">The military explains the 2007 Minot-Barksdale nuclear weapons mistake (AP Archive).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sources: Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine (22 Oct 2026), Wikipedia (Michael Wynne; 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident), U.S. Department of Defense, Associated Press<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Who was Michael Wynne?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Michael Wynne was the 21st Secretary of the Air Force, serving from November 2005 to June 2008. A West Point graduate and former Air Force captain, he spent more than two decades as a defense industry executive before becoming a senior Pentagon acquisition official. He died on 17 October 2026 at 82.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why was Michael Wynne fired as Secretary of the Air Force?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Defense Secretary Robert Gates asked for his resignation on 5 June 2008, citing a decline in the Air Force\u2019s nuclear mission focus after the 2007 Minot-Barksdale incident and the mistaken shipment of nuclear missile fuzes to Taiwan. Many insiders believed disputes over budgets and the F-22 also played a role.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What was the 2007 Minot-Barksdale nuclear incident?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 29-30 August 2007, a B-52 flew from Minot Air Force Base to Barksdale Air Force Base carrying six AGM-129 cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads that crews believed were inert. The weapons were unaccounted for for about 36 hours.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Who was fired together with Michael Wynne?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Gen. T. Michael Moseley, the Air Force Chief of Staff, was dismissed on the same day, 5 June 2008. According to Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Wynne refused an order from Gates to fire Moseley, so Gates removed both men.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What was Michael Wynne\u2019s position on the F-22 Raptor?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Wynne defended the F-22 against suggestions that the F-35 made it unnecessary, calling the Raptor clearly an air superiority and air dominance weapon and describing the F-35 as a complement to it rather than a replacement.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What happened to Michael Wynne\u2019s brother?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">His older brother Patrick Wynne, an F-4C pilot with the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, was shot down over North Vietnam on 8 August 1966. He was listed as missing until his remains were identified and returned in 1977.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who was Michael Wynne?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Michael Wynne was the 21st Secretary of the Air Force, serving from November 2005 to June 2008. A West Point graduate and former Air Force captain, he spent more than two decades as a defense industry executive before becoming a senior Pentagon acquisition official. 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He was listed as missing until his remains were identified and returned in 1977.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/goldsboro-1961-b52-broken-arrow-hydrogen-bombs\/\">One Switch From Armageddon<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/b-52-agm-181-lrso-nuclear-cruise-missile-testing-2026\/\">B-52 Spotted Testing America&#8217;s Next Nuclear Cruise Missile \u2014 The AGM-181 LRSO<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/b-52-stratofortress-70-years-new-engines-rolls-royce-f130-b-52j-100-years\/\">The B-52 at 70: The Bomber That Will Outlive Everything Designed to Replace It<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share this story On the day Michael Wynne reported for active duty in August 1966, the news came through that his older brother had been shot down over Vietnam. Forty-two years later, the younger Wynne would leave the Air Force for the last time, as its civilian head, fired by the Secretary of Defense on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":29231855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29231923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Michael Wynne: The Air Force Secretary Gates Fired | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Michael Wynne, Secretary of the Air Force from 2005 to 2008, has died at 82. The engineer who fought for the F-22 and was fired with Gen. 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