General Michael Joseph Dugan (born February 22, 1937) was briefly the 13th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force (USAF) for 79 days in 1990 until he was dismissed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney after telling reporters that the U.S. military planned to target Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, his family, and even his mistress in the 1991 Gulf War. He became the first member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be dismissed since Admiral Louis Denfeld in 1949, and the first top general to be relieved since General Douglas MacArthur in 1951. Early life and education Dugan was born in Albany, New York. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy in 1958, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Colorado in 1972. He completed Squadron Officer School in 1965, Air Command and Staff College in 1970 and the Air War College in 1973. Military career Dugan's early operational assignments were in F-100 Super Sabres and A-1 Skyraiders during the Vietnam War. He flew A-1s during 1967, from Pleiku Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, and Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. He then planned and taught cadet military training courses and served as cadet squadron and group air officer commanding at the United States Air Force Academy. From June 1973 to July 1977, Dugan was assigned to Headquarters USAF, Washington, D.C., as an action officer and branch chief in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Operations, and then as executive to the vice chief of staff. He next served at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, as vice commander and, later, commander of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing. He subsequently became commander of the 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing, England AFB, Louisiana, and commander of the 832d Air Division, Luke AFB, Arizona. In May 1982, he moved to Langley AFB, Virginia, where he served successively as Tactical Air Command's assistant deputy chief of staff for operations, inspector general and deputy chief of staff for operations. He was assigned to the deputy chief of staff for plans and operations at USAF headquarters as director of operations in June 1986, and as assistant deputy chief of staff in January 1987. He became the USAF deputy chief of staff, programs and resources, in July 1987. He then became deputy chief of staff, plans and operations,