BIOGRAPHY
U N I T E D
S T A T E S
A I R
FOR C E
Colonel W. Halsey Burks Colonel W. Halsey Burks is the Commander, 15th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The 15th Wing provides trained and ready Airmen to the Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the Commander, Pacific Air Forces to execute strategic airlift, air dominance, and executive airlift missions via C-17A, C-37A, C-40B and F-22A aircraft. As the commander, Colonel Burks serves as the Senior Airfield Authority on Hickam Field and is responsible for the airfield’s safe and effective operation. Hickam Field serves as a strategic launching pad for the projection American airpower throughout the Indo-Pacific Area of Responsibility. The wing’s Total Force Integration relationship with the Hawaii Air National Guard is critical to the day-to-day operations and maintenance successes of the C-17 and F-22 mission sets. The 15th Wing also serves as the Air Force lead that partners with the Commander, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to provide mission support to all other Air Force entities on base. Colonel Burks entered the Air Force in 1995, earning his commission from the United States Air Force Academy. He
is a command pilot with more than 3,700 hours including combat time in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He has three master’s degrees related to military history, theater operations, and campaign planning and strategy. Prior to this assignment, he served as Vice Commander, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. EDUCATION 1995 Bachelor of Science in Basic Science, US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 2001 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2005 Air Command & Staff College by correspondence, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2009 Master of Military Arts & Science in Military History, US Army Command & General Staff College, Ft Leavenworth, Kan. 2010 Master of Military Arts & Science in Operational Art, US Army School of Advanced Military Studies, Ft Leavenworth, Kan. 2012 Air War College by correspondence, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2015 Master’s Degree, Joint Campaign Planning & Strategy, Joint Advanced Warfighting School, National Defense University, NSA Hampton Roads, Va. ASSIGNMENTS 1. October 1995 – September 1998, Flightline Duty Officer, 437th Aircraft Generation Squadron then Maintenance Flight Commander, 437th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C. 2. October 1998 – June 1999, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Whiting Field NAS, Fla. and Vance AFB, Okla. 3. July 1999 – December 2001, Chief of Mobility, C-141B Pilot, 6th Airlift Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J. 4. January 2002 – May 2005, Wing Airlift Director, 62d Operations Support Sq then Readiness Flight Commander, C-17A Evaluator Pilot, 10th Airlift Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash. 5. May 2005 – Jun 2008, Deputy Chief then Chief, Wing Plans & Programs, C-17A Instructor Pilot, 15th Airlift Wing and Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, 13th Air Force, Hickam AFB, Hawaii.
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