Colonel James Combs is the Deputy Commander, 552nd Air Control Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. He is responsible for Air Combat Command's fleet of E-3 
Airborne Warning & Control System aircraft and ground-based Control & Reporting Centers supporting combatant commanders worldwide. He leads over 3,300 men and 
women at four Air Force bases and manages resources that include 10 E-3 AWACS aircraft and two CRCs valued at $5 billion. Colonel Combs also oversees Air Combat  Command’s largest Programmed Flying Training Unit and its non-aircraft specific functional training. 

Col Combs graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2003 where he commissioned via ROTC and then completed undergraduate Air Battle Manager training at Tyndall AFB, Florida in January 2005.  Following E3-B/C Initial Qualification Training, he was assigned to the 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron at the 552d Air Control Wing, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma where he flew operationally as an Air Weapons Officer, deploying to JIATF-South in support of counter-drug operations. He then completed E3-B/C flight instructor training as a distinguished graduate in August of 2007 and was assigned to the 966th Airborne Air Control Squadron, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. He served at the 966th as an instructor and evaluator Air Weapons 
Officer, and Deputy Chief of Weapons and Tactics for three years where he won the 2008 ACC ABM Instructor of the Year award and the 2009 Chief of Staff Team 
Excellence award with “Best Practice” distinction. He was subsequently selected to attend the USAF Weapons School, graduating in June 2010 as the 8th Weapons Squadron class 10A outstanding graduate. Col Combs then briefly returned to the 552d ACW as the Chief, Weapons and Tactics, 552d Training Squadron before being 
hand selected to return as ABM Weapons Instructor Course cadre at the 8th Weapons Squadron, USAFWS, Nellis AFB, Nevada. While assigned to the USAFWS, his duties ranged from Chief of Squadron Stan/Eval, Assistant Director of Operations-Integration, Commandant’s Director of Staff, and Chief, USAFWS Integration. While at the Weapons School, Col Combs garnering three Exceptionally Qualified flight evaluations, the ACC ABM OTY award, and completed E-3 Senior Director upgrade training. In 2015, Col Combs attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas before he relocated overseas to Ramstein Air Base, Germany where he served in the Strategy Division of the 603d Air Operations Center as the Chief of Strategy Plans. In August2018, Col Combs, and his family, once again returned to Nellis AFB as the Director of Operations and then Commander of the 8WPS, Nellis AFB, Nevada. Following command, Col Combs attended the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (National Defense University), Fort McNair, Washington D.C. graduating with a master’s degree in National Resourse Strategy with a concentration in EUCOM, NATO, and Trans-Altantic Alliances with a focus on the U.S. Missile Defense industrial base. Prior to his current assignment, Col Combs served as a Military Professor in the Strategy and Policy Department at the U.S. Naval War College, Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island where he taught graduate level CJCS-approved JPME I/II curriculum and the awarding of accredited master’s degrees to over 500 diverse Naval War College intermediate and senior-grade joint, international, and interagency students.

EDUCATION
1998 Associate of Science, Medical Laboratory Technology, University of New Mexico, Alamogordo, N.M.
2003 Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Neb.
2003 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2008 Master of Business Administration, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, Okla.
2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 
2016 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2022 Master of National Resource Strategy, Eisenhower School, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.

ASSIGNMENTS OR CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. June 2003 – December 2003, Assistant Detachment Recruiting Officer, AFROTC Det 470, Omaha, Neb.
2. January 2004 – January 2005, Student, Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
3. January 2005 – July 2005, Student, E3 Initial Qualification Training, 552d TRS, Tinker AFB, Okla. 
4. July 2005 – October 2007, E-3 Air Weapons Officer, 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.
5. October 2007 – January 2010, Deputy Weapons & Tactics, 966th Airborne Air Control Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla. 
6. January 2010 – June 2010, Student, 8th Weapons Squadron, USAF Weapons School (USAFWS), Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. July 2010 – January 2011, Chief Weapons and Tactics, 552d TRS, Tinker AFB, Okla.
8. January 2011 – June 2013, ABM WIC Instructor/Evaluator, 8th Weapons Squadron, USAFWS, Nellis AFB, Nev.
9. June 2013 – June 2015, Commandant’s Director of Staff, Chief of Integration, USAFWS, Nellis AFB, Nev. 
10. June 2015 – June 2016, Student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
11. June 2016 – August 2018, Strategy Plans Team Chief, 603d Air Operations Center, Ramstein AB, Ger.
12. August 2018 – June 2019, Director of Operations, 8th Weapons Squadron, USAFWS, Nellis AFB, Nev.
13. June 2019 – June 2021, Commander, 8th Weapons Squadron, USAFWS, Nellis AFB, Nev.
14. July 2021 – June 2022, Student, Eisenhower School, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
15. July 2022 – May 2024, Strategy & Policy Military Professor, U.S. Naval War College, Naval Station Newport, R.I.
16. May 2024 – Present, Deputy Commander, 552d Air Control Wing, Tinker AFB, Okla.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2022 – May 2024, Strategy & Policy Professor, U.S. Naval War College, Naval Station Newport, R.I. as a 
colonel

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Master Air Battle Manager
Flight hours: 1,500+
Aircraft flown: E3-B/C/G

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal (2OLC)
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal (1OLC)

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2009 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award (with distinction)
2010 USAFWS, 8WPS Outstanding Graduate
2012 ACC ABM OTY
2013 8WPS CGO OTY
2014 USAFWS ACC Instructor OTY
2017 603d AOC FGO OTY