William T. Cooley

William T. Cooley
William T. Cooley
Birth name	William Theodore Cooley
Nickname(s)	Bill
Born	February 4, 1966; Fort Worth, Texas
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1988–2023
Rank	Colonel (Highest grade: Major General)
Commands	Air Force Research Laboratory; Global Positioning Systems Directorate; Phillips Research Site; 350th Electronic Systems Group
Awards	Defense Superior Service Medal (2); Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal
Alma mater	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (BS); University of New Mexico (MS); Air Force Institute of Technology (PhD);
	Scientific career
Fields	Applied Physics; Laser weapons
Institutions	Sandia National Laboratory; Air Force Wright Laboratory; Air Force Phillips Laboratory;
Thesis	Measurement of ultrafast carrier recombination dynamics in mid-infrared semiconductor laser material (1997)
Doctoral advisor	Robert Hengehold

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. He is the first general officer in US Air Force history to be court-martialed. He was relieved of command after allegations of abusive sexual contact against him were reported. After a General Court Martial found him guilty of abusive sexual contact, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall chose to demote the two-star general to a field-grade officer. Cooley retired as a colonel.