Colonel D. Ryan Brader is the Deputy Commander of the 507th Air Refueling Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing operates and maintains eight KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft providing worldwide aerial refueling to U.S. and NATO aircraft in times of peace, war, and national emergency, employing more than 1,100 citizen Airmen. The wing also provides peacetime administrative support functions for the 513th Air Control Group, Air Force Reserve Command's only Airborne Warning and Control Systems organization, as well as the 1st Aviation Standards Flight.

Col. Brader is a command pilot with more than 5,500 flight hours. He entered the Air Force in 1998 as a graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Northern Colorado. Following graduation, Col. Brader attended Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi and served twelve years on active duty as a T-37 and EC-130 instructor/evaluator pilot before transitioning to the Air Force Reserve in 2010. Col. Brader is a combat veteran and has deployed in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, UNIFIED RESPONSE, INHERENT RESOLVE, FREEDOM’S SENTINEL, SPARTAN SHIELD, and CORONET OAK. In his civilian capacity, Col. Brader is a pilot with a major airline.

 

EDUCATION

1998 Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colo.

2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

2014 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence

2014 Masters of Operational Military Science, Air University, by correspondence

2020 Air War College, by correspondence

ASSIGNMENTS

1. June 1998 – December 1998, Undergraduate Pilot Training, 41st FTS, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. December 1998 – May 2003, T-37A Instructor Pilot, 41st FTS, Columbus AFB, Miss.
2. May 2003 – January 2007, EC-130H Instructor Pilot, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
3. January 2007 – July 2010, Chief Pilot Credible Cat, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
4. July 2010 – July 2019, Chief Pilot, 731st Airlift Squadron, Peterson AFB, Colo.
5. January 2021 – July 2021 Director of Operations, 779 Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Al Salem AB, Kuwait
6. July 2019 – May 2022 Commander, 731st Airlift Squadron, Peterson SFB, Colo.
7. May 2022 – February 2024 Senior Director, Joint Operations Center, NORAD-NORTHCOM, Peterson SFB, Colo.
8. February 2024 – Present Deputy Commander, 507th Air Refueling Wing, Tinker AFB, Okla.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS

May 2022 – February 2024 Senior Director, Joint Operations Center, NORAD-NORTHCOM, Peterson SFB, Colo. as a Colonel.

FLIGHT INFORMATION

Rating: Command Pilot

Flight hours: More than 5,500

Aircraft flown: T-37, T-1, EC-130H, C-130H1/H2/H3/E, DC-9, A319/320, MD-88/90, 767-400, A-350

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters

Air Medal with eight oak leaf clusters

Aerial Achievement Medal

Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant June 7, 1998

First Lieutenant June 7, 2000

Captain June 7, 2002

Major February 1, 2008

Lieutenant Colonel February 1, 2015

Colonel May 1, 2023

(Current as of April 2025)