Col. Rob Krueger is Commander of 103rd Operations Group, Bradley Air National Guard Base, Conn. He leads 208 personnel employing ten C-130H Hercules aircraft and is responsible for preparing the 118th Airlift Squadron, 103d Operations Support Squadron, and Group staff for State and Federal missions.
Col. Krueger graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in May 2001 and pilot training in Oct. 2002. He served 13 years in Air Mobility Command and U.S. Air Forces Europe before 11 years in Air Force Reserve Command. He honed skills in tactical tanker employment, strategic and operational support airlift, and aeromedical evacuation becoming a C-21 Instructor, KC-10 Formal Training Unit Instructor, and a Major Command Evaluator Pilot. His experience includes Flight Commander and Chief of Readiness over Tactics, Training, and Mobility; Current Operations; and Standardization and Evaluation. He also served as Squadron Assistant Operations Officer and Director of Operations of the Ramstein Air Base Command Post. He flew and commanded missions supporting Operations NOBLE EAGLE, ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, NEW DAWN, INHERENT RESOLVE, FREEDOM’S SENTINEL, and SPARTAN SHIELD. In May 2006, he deployed as the Deputy Director of Personnel Recovery Coordination Cell at the Joint Operations Center for Multi-National Corps, Iraq, where his teams coordinated air, ground, and water rescues of Joint, Coalition, and Ambassador-identified personnel.
Prior to his current assignment, Col. Krueger served as the Commander, 439th Operations Group, Westover Air Reserve Base Mass., overseeing multiple unit mobilizations. That assignment culminated his time with the Reserve following strategic perspectives as Acting Chief of the Mobility Operations Division (A3T and A3V roles) at Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
2002 Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance Air Force Base, Okla.
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Master of Science, Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
2015 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2019 Reserve Component National Security Course, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
2020 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2022 Director of Mobility Forces Course, Hurlburt AFB, Fla.
2025 Executive Core Qualification Course, Air Force Personnel Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1997–May 2001, Cadet, United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
2. July 2001–September 2001, Student, Introductory Flying Training, Peterson AFB, Colo.
3. September 2001–October 2002, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, Okla.
4. January–June 2003, Pilot, KC-10 Co-Pilot Initial Qualification, McGuire AFB, N.J.
5.July 2003–July 2007, KC-10 Aircraft Commander, 32nd Air Refueling Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J. (November 2004–January 2005, KC-10 Pilot, 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates), (May–September 2006, Deputy Director, Personnel Recovery Coordination Cell, Multi-National Corps–Iraq)
6.July 2007–February 2009, C-21 Instructor Pilot and Chief, Wing Operational Support Airlift Scheduling, 86th Operations Support Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
7. February–November 2009, C-21 Flight Commander, 76th Airlift Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
8. December 2009–December 2010, Director of Operations, Command Post, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein AB, Germany
9. January 2011–April 2012, Readiness Flight Commander, 32nd Air Refueling Squadron, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
10. May 2012–January 2013, Assistant Operations Officer, 32nd Air Refueling Squadron, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. (May–July 2012, KC-10 Instructor Pilot, 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates)
11. February 2013–January 2014, KC-10 Formal Training Unit Instructor Pilot and Chief, Wing Current Operations, 305th Operations Support Squadron, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
12. February–November 2014, KC-10 Flight Examiner and Chief, Standardization/ Evaluation, 32nd Air Refueling Squadron, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. (March–May 2014, KC-10 Instructor Pilot, 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates)
13. December 2014–July 2015, KC-10 Evaluator Pilot, 76th Air Refueling Squadron, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
14. July 2015–March 2016, Assistant Operations Officer, 76th Air Refueling Squadron, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. (January–March 2016, KC-10 Instructor Pilot, 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates)
15. April–July 2016, 514th Operations Group Standardization/Evaluation, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
16. July 2016–July 2017, Command KC-10 Evaluator Pilot and Mobility Air Force Rated Officer Resource Manager, Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Ga.
17. July 2017–December 2018, KC-10 and Director of Mobility Forces Functional Area Manager, HQ AFRC, Robins AFB, Ga.
18. December 2018–May 2019, Chief, Tanker Branch and KC-10 FAM, HQ AFRC, Robins AFB, Ga.
19. May 2019–March 2020, Acting Chief, Mobility Operations Division, HQ AFRC, Robins AFB, Ga.
20. March 2020–December 2022, Chief, Tanker Branch and KC-46 FAM, HQ AFRC, Robins AFB, Ga.
21. January 2023–October 2025, Commander, 439th Operations Group, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.
22. October 2025–May 2026, Commander, 103rd Operations Group, Bradley Air National Guard Base, Conn
22. May 2026–Present, Commander, 103rd Airlift Wing, Bradley Air National Guard Base, Conn.
FLIGHT NFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: : More than 5,000 total and 1,000 combat
Aircraft Flown: T-41A, T-37B, T-1A, KC-10A, C-21A, C-5M, C-130H
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant, May 30, 2001
First Lieutenant, May 30, 2003
Captain, May 30, 2005
Major, February 01, 2011
Lieutenant Colonel, September 12, 2017
Colonel, February 21, 2023
(Current as of May 2026)