William Theodore Cooley (born February 4, 1966) is a retired senior United States Air Force officer who previously served as

commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory The Commander of Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is responsible for managing the Air Force's science and technology program as well as additional customer funded research and development. The commander is also responsible for a workforce of ap ...

. He is the first general officer in US Air Force history to be

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

ed. He was relieved of command after allegations of abusive sexual contact against him were reported.

Early life and education

William Theodore Cooley was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 4, 1966. He graduated from Highland High School in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, in 1984. He attended

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

on an

Air Force ROTC The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) ...

scholarship from which he received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1988 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Air Force. After leaving Rensselaer, Cooley attended graduate school at the University of New Mexico and received a Masters of Science in mechanical engineering in 1990 while simultaneously working at the Sandia National Laboratory. After leaving New Mexico, Cooley worked from 1990 to 1993 at Air Force Wright Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB on photovoltaic solar cells and later crystal growth of III-V compounds using molecular beam epitaxy. In 1993, Cooley entered the doctoral program at Air Force Institute of Technology. He received a Doctor of Philosophy in applied physics in 1997 while working under the supervision of Professor Robert Hengehold.

Military career

Cooley was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Air Force after completing the Air Force ROTC program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1988. In 2015, Cooley was promoted to brigadier general. In 2023 he was demoted before retirement to the rank of Colonel.

Abusive sexual contact allegations and court-martial

Cooley faced a

general court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio in April 2022, charged with three counts of violating Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice by committing abusive sexual contact. On April 23, 2022, Cooley was found guilty of one count abusive sexual contact for forcibly kissing his sister-in-law after a family barbecue. Cooley was sentenced on April 26, 2022, to a public reprimand and total forfeiture of $54,550 in pay over a five month period. He is the first general officer in US Air Force history to be court-martialed.

Awards and decorations

Cooley has been awarded and is authorized to wear the following major honors as of June 2020:

Effective dates of promotion

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooley, William T. 1966 births Living people People from Fort Worth, Texas United States Air Force generals United States Air Force personnel who were court-martialed Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)