Col. Brad E. Orgeron is the Commander, 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. As wing commander, he hosts the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program, which is the world’s only internationally manned and managed undergraduate pilot training program and includes participants from 14 NATO nations: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He oversees the training and proficiency of instructor and student pilots in the programs Undergraduate Pilot Training, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals and Pilot Instructor Training.
Colonel Orgeron was commissioned in 1999 as a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has served in a variety of flying assignments including T-38A/C and F-15C instructor pilot, flight commander, and standardization evaluation flight examiner. He is a command pilot with over 3,000 flying hours, over half of which occurred in the F-15 C/D.
Prior to his current position, he was the director, Combat Air Forces Special Access Programs Management Office and chief of Advanced Programs for the Plans, Programs and Requirements Directorate, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. He led a selectively manned division responsible for cradle-to-grave management of all Combat Air Forces special access programs and directs incorporation of advanced technologies in developing requirements for future combat aircraft and weapons. He has commanded in a dual-status role as vice wing commander of the 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field, an Oregon Air National Guard base, while maintaining his active duty component commission. Additionally, he commanded an F-15C fighter squadron and a combined expeditionary operations and maintenance group while deployed with the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His staff assignments include Deputy Master Air Attack Plan chief with the 603rd Air and Space Operations Center Combat Plans Division; chief of A3 Ballistic Missile Defense for NATO Allied Air Command; and military assistant to the commander, Headquarters Allied Air Command, Ramstein AB, Germany.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
2007 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2011 Master’s degree Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2013 Air War College by correspondence
2019 Air Force Fellow, Center for a New American Security, Washington D.C.
2020 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virgina
ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 1999 – November 2000, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, Mississippi
2. December 2000 – May 2001, T-38 Pilot Instructor Training, Randolph AFB, Texas
3. May 2001 – April 2004, T-38 Instructor Pilot and Executive Officer, Columbus AFB, Mississippi
4. May 2004 – May 2005, F-15C Student Upgrade Pilot, Tyndall AFB, Florida
5. May 2005 – May 2008, F-15C Mission Commander, 67th Fighter Squadron Unit Deployment Manager and Assistant Chief of Weapons and Tactics; 18th Operational Support Squadron Chief of Current Fighter Operations, Kadena AB, Japan
6. June 2008 – July 2010, F-15C Instructor Pilot, 325th Operational Support Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment Flight Commander and Training Flight Commander, Tyndall AFB, Florida
7. July 2010 – June 2011, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
8. Jul 2011 – June 2012, Senior Offensive Duty Officer, 617th Air and Space Operations Center Combat Operations Division; and Deputy Master Air Attack Plan Chief, 603rd Air and Space Operations Center Combat Plans Division, Ramstein AB, Germany
9. June 2012 – April 2014, Chief A3 Ballistic Missile Defense and Military Assistant to the Commander, Headquarters Allied Air Command, Ramstein AB, Germany
10. April 2014 – July 2014, Student Upgrade Pilot, Kingsley Field, Oregon
11. August 2014 – April 2015, F-15C Instructor Pilot and 44th Fighter Squadron Director of Staff, Kadena AB, Japan
12. May 2015 – April 2016, F-15C Standardization Evaluation Flight Examiner (SEFE) and 67th Fighter Squadron Director of Operations, Kadena AB, Japan
13. April 2016 – April 2017, Commander and F-15C Instructor Pilot, Detachment 2, 56th Operations Group, Kingsley Field, Oregon
14. April 2017 – June 2018, Commander and F-15C IP/SEFE, 550th Fighter Squadron, Kingsley Field, Oregon
15. July 2018 – July 2019, AF Fellow, Center for a New American Security, Washington D.C.
16. August 2019 – June 2021, 173 FW Vice Wing Commander, Kingsley Field, Oregon, with duties as 378th Expeditionary Operations and Maintenance Group Commander, 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, Prince Sultan Airbase, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
17. July 2021 – June 2022, ACC 5/8Z Chief, Advanced Programs and Combat Air Force Special Access Programs Management Officer, Langley AFB, Virgina
18. June 2022 – Present, Commander, 80th Flying Training Wing, Sheppard AFB, Texas
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2011 – October 2011, 617th Air and Space Operations Center Combat Operations Division, Senior Offensive Duty Officer, United States Air Forces Africa, Ramstein AB, Germany.
2. October 2011 – June 2012, 603rd Air and Space Operations Center Combat Plans Division, Deputy Master Air Attack Plan Chief, United States Air Forces Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany.
3. June 2012 – June 2013, Chief of A3 Ballistic Missile Defense, NATO Allied Air Command, Ramstein AB, Germany.
4. June 2013 – June 2014, Military Assistant to the Commander, NATO Allied Air Command, Ramstein AB, Germany.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flying hours: over 3,000 hours; over 1,550 hours and 89 combat hours in the F-15C/D
Aircraft flown: T-37B, T-38A/C, and F-15C/D
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with C Device
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
NATO NonArticle 5 Medal (Operation Unified Protector)
State of Oregon Exceptional Service Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1999 Distinguished Graduate, United States Air Force Academy
2003 Company Grade Officer of the Year, 50th Flying Training Squadron
2004 Top Gun, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Class 04MB
2005 Distinguished graduate, Top Gun, and Top Academic Award F15C Formal Training Unit
2005 Francis Gabreski Award, USAF Top AirtoAir Fighter Pilot, American Fighter Aces Association
2008 HQ Air Education and Training Command Well Done Safety Award
2009 Flight Commander of the Year, 325th Operations Support Squadron and 325th Operations Group
2011 Top 15% Graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2011 Honor graduate, Air and Space Operations Center, Hulburt Field, Florida
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 2, 1999
First Lieutenant June 2, 2001
Captain June 2, 2003
Major Nov. 1, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel Nov. 1, 2013
Colonel Dec. 1, 2019
(Current as of June 2022)