COLONEL NATHAN P. "SHAGGY" AYSTA
Col Nathan P. Aysta is Wing Commander at the 148th Fighter Wing, Duluth Air National Guard Base, Minnesota. He is responsible for organizing, training, equipping and maintaining combat-ready forces that encompass over 1,000 Airmen, 22 Block 50 F-16CM aircraft, a 221-acre installation and a $65 million budget.
Colonel Aysta entered the Air Force as a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in June 1999. He graduated from Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi in 2000. He served on active duty for 11 years before transitioning to the Air National Guard in 2010. Throughout his career, he served as an operational F-16 instructor pilot with assignments in Air Combat Command, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and the Air National Guard while supporting Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, and Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. Colonel Aysta is a graduate of the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Prior to his current position, Colonel Aysta served as the Director of Operations for the Minnesota Air National Guard, Joint Force Headquarters.
Colonel Aysta is a Command Pilot with more than 3,800 flying hours in the F-16 and has flown over 80 combat sorties totaling more than 417 combat hours.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor’s Degree, Political Science, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2006 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2010 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2011 United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2016 Master’s Degree, Strategic Studies, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1999 – August 2000, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
2. September 2000 – November 2000, Student, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Sheppard AFB, Texas
3. January 2001 – September 2001, Student, F-16 Initial Qualification Training, Luke AFB, Ariz.
4. October 2001 – August 2004, Assistant Chief of Stan/Eval and Weapons & Tactics, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
5. August 2004 – June 2007, F-16 Flight Commander and Chief of Stan/Eval, 18th Fighter Squadron, Eielson AFB, Alaska
6. June 2007 – June 2010, F-16 Assistant Director of Operations, Flight Commander, and Evaluator Pilot, Aviano Air Base, Italy
7. June 2010 – January 2011, F-16 Instructor Pilot, 179th Fighter Squadron, Duluth, Minn.
8. January 2011 – July 2011, F-16 Weapons Instructor Upgrade Pilot, 16th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB Nev.
9. July 2011 – July 2015, F-16 Chief of Weapons and Tactics Instructor, 179th Fighter Squadron, Duluth, Minn. (August 2012- October 2012, Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 179th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Kandahar AB, Afghanistan)
10. July 2015 – June 2016, Student, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
11. June 2016 – August 2017, F-16 Chief of Weapons and Tactics Instructor, 148th Fighter Wing, Duluth, Minn.
12. August 2017 – February 2019, Commander 179th Fighter Squadron, Duluth, Minn. (April 2018-July 2018, Commander 179th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Ahmed Al Jaber AB, Kuwait)
13. February 2019 – December 2021, Commander, 148th Operations Group, Duluth, Minn.
14. January 2022 – September 2022, Traditional A3, MN ANG JFHQ, St. Paul, Minn.
15. September 2022 – Present, Wing Commander, 148th Fighter Wing, Duluth ANGB, Minn
18. October 2025 - Present, Commander, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 3,800
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, F-16C and F-16CM
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and three oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with three oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with service star
Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal with service star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with ‘N’ device
Air and Space Overseas Ribbon -Long Tour
Air and Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold border
Air and Space Longevity Service with four oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with ‘M’ device
Small Arms Marksmanship ribbon with service star
Air and Space Training Ribbon
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 2, 1999
First Lieutenant June 2, 2001
Captain June 2, 2003
Major Jan. 1, 2009
Lieutenant Colonel April 21, 2013
Colonel Sep. 1, 2019