Richard Swinney Beyea Jr.[2] (born 22 September 1935)[3] is a retired United States Air Force brigadier general (special agent) who served as the 10th commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Bolling AFB, Washington D.C. As the AFOSI Commander, Beyea was responsible for providing independent professional investigative services to commanders of all Air Force activities about fraud, counterintelligence and major criminal matters by using a worldwide network of agents stationed at all major Air Force installations and at a variety of special operating locations.

In 1958, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York.

Along with specialized training, Beyea completed Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air Force Base, AL; Industrial College of the Armed Forces and National War College, both located at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.[1] Upon graduation from the U.S. Military Academy, Beyea commissioned into the United States Air Force in 1958.

He spent the majority of his career as a special agent of the AFOSI where he conducted and supervised felony-level criminal, fraud, and counterintelligence investigations and operations.

Near the end of his military career, Beyea was awarded the prestigious Order of the Sword in 1987, which is the highest honor and tribute noncommissioned officers can bestow upon an individual.