Colonel John C. Walker is the Commander of the 39th Air Base Wing, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. As Commander, Colonel Walker is responsible for approximately 5,000 U.S. military, civilian and contractor personnel and the combat readiness of U.S. Air Force units at Incirlik and five geographically-separated units in Turkey. He is also responsible for Base Operations Support Integrator (BOS-I) activities for Turkey-based Joint and Combined combat forces conducting Operations INHERENT RESOLVE, NOMAD SHADOW, and ACTIVE FENCE.
Colonel Walker earned his commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1993. He completed Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training and has held operational flying assignments in the F-16 as an instructor pilot, evaluator pilot, squadron commander, and group commander. He has also served as a British Harrier GR7 instructor pilot while performing duties as an exchange officer with the Royal Air Force. Colonel Walker is a command pilot with more than 2,600 flying hours in the T-37, T-38, AT-38, F-16, Hawk, and Harrier GR7, including over 200 combat hours in Operations SOUTHERN WATCH and IRAQI FREEDOM.
Prior to his current assignment, Colonel Walker served as the Commander of the 8th Operations Group, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea.
EDUCATION
1993 Bachelor of Science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 2000 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Master of Military Art and Science in Strategy, U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2008 Master of Military Art and Science degree in Theater Operations, U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2012 Master of Science degree in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy, Joint Advanced Warfighting School, Norfolk, Va.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 1993 - December 1994, Student, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
2. May 1995 - March 1996, Student, F-16 Flying Training Unit, Luke AFB, Arizona
3. March 1996 - Sep 1998, Squadron Scheduler, 34th Fighter Squadron, Hill AFB, Utah
4. September 1998 - July 2000, Chief of Training and F-16 Instructor Pilot, 36th Fighter Squadron, Osan AB, Korea
5. September 2000 - September 2003, Flight Commander and Harrier GR7 Instructor Pilot, Number 1 (Fighter) Squadron, Royal Air Force Cottesmore, UK
6. January 2004 - May 2006, Assistant Director of Operations, Chief of Wing Deployments and BRAC, and F-16 Instructor Pilot and Flight Evaluator, 389th Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
7. June 2006 - May 2007, Student, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
8. July 2007 - May 2008, Student, U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
9. June 2008 - February 2010, Director of Operations, 6th Combat Training Squadron, and Commander, 549th Combat Training Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada
10. June 2010 - June 2011, Commander, Provincial Reconstruction Team Laghman, FOB Mehtar Lam, Afghanistan
11. July 2011 - June 2012, Student, Joint Advanced Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
12. July 2012 - May 2014, Director of Weapons System Integration, and Military Assistant to the Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics), Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
13. May 2014 - July 2015, Commander, 8th Operations Group, Kunsan AB, Korea
14. July 2015 - present, Commander, 39th Air Base Wing, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2010 - June 2011, Commander, Provincial Reconstruction Team Laghman, FOB Mehtar Lam, Afghanistan, as a lieutenant colonel
2. July 2012 - May 2014, Director of Weapons System Integration, and Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics), Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel and colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 2,600
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, AT-38, F-16, Hawk, and Harrier GR7
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Meritorious Service Medal Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Bronze Star
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal Air Force Achievement Medal Army Achievement Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1994 Distinguished Graduate, Flying Award, & Top Formation Pilot Award, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot
Training Class 95-02
1995 Distinguished Graduate, IFF Class 95-GLG, Randolph AFB, Texas
1996 Distinguished Graduate, Air-to-Air Top Gun, and Air-to-Ground Top Gun, F-16 FTU Class 95-GBL,
Luke AFB, Ariz.
2001 Air-to-Air Top Gun, Harrier GR7 FTU Class 01-5, RAF Cottesmore, United Kingdom
2005 Twelfth Air Force Field Grade Officer of the Year
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 2, 1993
First Lieutenant June 2, 1995
Captain June 2, 1997
Major Oct. 1, 2003
Lieutenant Colonel Oct. 1, 2008
Colonel 1 Oct., 2013
(Current as of February 2016)