Col. Ryan Wick is the Deputy Commander, 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, Air Force Central Command, Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Col. Wick earned his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 2003. He graduated from pilot training at Vance AFB, Oklahoma, in January 2005 and graduated from the F- 16 Formal Training Unit in July 2006. In 2009, he was selected for transition to the F-22 and completed initial qualification training in July 2009. He has served as an F-22 Instructor Pilot and Flight Examiner. He is a Command Pilot with more than 1,400 hours in the T-37, T-38, F-16, and F-22. He has 230 combat hours over Iraq and has supported multiple deployments in the PACOM AOR. He has commanded at the squadron level, leading the 43rd Fighter Squadron and 2nd Fighter Training Squadron simultaneously following Hurricane Michael at Tyndall AFB, Florida. His staff assignments include duty at Air Combat Command.
Prior to his current position, Col. Wick served as Executive Officer to the Commander, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. In this capacity, he was the commander's personal representative across ACC staff, Air Force/ DoD/Joint Staff senior leadership, and US foreign government officials and delegations. He was responsible for transmitting guidance and orchestrating daily information flow for executive decision making.
EDUCATION
2003 Bachelor of Science in Economics, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2010 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Masters of Business Administration and Management, Trident University, Cypress, Calif.
2012 Air Command and Staff College (Correspondence), Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2017 Masters of Policy Management, Georgetown University, Washington DC.
2021 Masters of National Security and Strategic Studies, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2004 – September 2005, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, Okla.
2. September 2005 – July 2006, F-16C/D Formal Training Unit, 309th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
3. July 2006 – March 2009, Asst. Chief of Stan/Eval, 55th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
4. March 2009 – July 2009, F-22 Transition Course, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
5. July 2009 – October 2013, Wing Flight Safety, Flight Commander, 27th Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
6. October 2013 – September 2015, Assistant Director of Operations, 525th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Ala.
7. September 2015 – May 2016, Director of Operations, 525th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Ala.
8. May 2016 – July 2017, Air Force Fellow, Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
9. July 2017 – May 2018, Inspector General, 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
10. May 2018 – February 2020, Commander, 43rd Fighter Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
11. June 2020 – June 2021, Student, College of Naval Warfare, Newport Naval Base, R.I.
12. June 2021 – May 2022, Branch Chief, Flight Operations and Training Branch, Headquarters Air Combat Command, JB Langley-Eustis, Va.
13. May 2022 – June 2023, Executive Officer to the Commander, Headquarters Air Combat Command, JB Langley-Eustis, Va.
14. June 2023 – Present, Deputy Commander, 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 1,400 Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, F-16, F-22
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with one oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 2003
First Lieutenant May 28, 2005
Captain May 28, 2007
Major June 1, 2013
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 2016
Colonel April 1, 2022
(Current as of June 2023)