Paul V. Hester (born 21 October 1947) is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) general .

He had responsibility for USAF activities spread over half the globe in a command that supports 55,500 Air Force personnel serving in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Japan and South Korea.

Hester was commissioned through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program at the University of Mississippi.

Hester's staff tours include duty in the Directorate of Plans, as a member of the Commander's Action Group at Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Chief of the Air Force's Legislative Liaison Office at the United States House of Representatives, Division Chief in J-5 of the Joint Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Director of Air Force Legislative Liaison for the Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

He also served as the Air Component Commander and force provider to Joint Task Force-536 during Operation Unified Assistance in support of the South Asia tsunami relief effort.