Colonel Gretchen Wiltse is the commander of the 434th Mission Support Group, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana. She is responsible for supporting the mission of the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command through a variety of functions including infrastructure, services, logistics, personnel, communications, contracting and security.
Colonel Wiltse graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy May 1989. Upon graduation, she attended the Aircraft Maintenance and Munitions Officers’ Course at Chanute AFB, Illinois, and was assigned to McChord AFB, Washington. While there, she held various maintenance positions and commanded the Field Training Detachment, which was recognized as the best FTD in the Air Force.
She left active duty and joined the Air Force Reserve in 1995. As a reservist, she has been assigned to Reserve wings flying the KC-135, C-130, KC-10, C-5, and C-17 aircraft. She also worked as an Individual Mobilization Augmentee at Lajes Field, Azores, and Aviano Air Base, Italy. She became a logistics officer and an Air Reserve Technician in 2008. She has 11 years of command experience and has served as both a Mission Support Group and Maintenance Group Commander. She has also served two staff tours, including as logistics officer career field manager and chief of logistics readiness for AFRC where she oversaw policy, equipping, training, and operations for over 70 logistics and aerial port units and 10,000 Airmen. She has also taught English for the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers during two-week emersion programs in 2010 and 2011 in the Czech Republic and Moldova; and served as the academic director for the 2012 course in the Czech Republic. Finally, she deployed as the deputy combined-joint logistics and chief of plans, Operation Resolute Support, Kabul, Afghanistan October 2018 - April 2019.
EDUCATION
1989 Bachelor of Science degree in human factors, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
1990 Aircraft Maintenance and Munitions Officers’ Course, Chanute AFB, Illinois
1993 Master of Engineering Management degree in project management, St. Martin’s College, Olympia, Washington
1995 Squadron Officers’ School by correspondence
2002 Air Command and Staff Course by correspondence
2007 Air War College by correspondence
2010 Reserve Component National Security Course, Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2010 AFRC Pentagon Orientation Course, Washington D.C.
2011 National Security Decision Making Course (Reserve), Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island
2013 AF Forces Senior Staff Course, Hurlburt Field, Florida
2013 Incident Commander’s Course, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2017 Joint Combined Warfighting School—Hybrid (AJPME II), Norfolk NSA, Virginia
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 1990 - June 1992, officer in charge, Blue Aircraft Maintenance Unit; flight commander, Isochronal Inspection Dock; commander, Fabrications Flight, 62nd AW, McChord AFB, Washington
2. July 1992 – June 1993, commander, 373rd FTD, McChord AFB, Washington
3. July 1993 - December 1994, section commander, 1849th Electronic Installation Squadron, McClellan AFB, California
4. January 1995 - September 1995, avionics flight commander, 940th Air Refueling Wing, McClellan AFB, Calififornia
5. October 1995 - July 1998, liaison officer, U.S. Air Force Academy ROTC, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota
6. August 1998 - July 1999, maintenance supervisor, 908th Aircraft Generation Squadron, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
7. August 1999 - July 2001, logistics officer, 729th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Lajes Field, Azores
8. August 2001 - July 2004, maintenance officer, 31st Maintenance Group, Aviano Air Base, Italy
9. August 2004 - November 2005, maintenance operations officer, 349th Component Maintenance Squadron, Travis AFB, California
10. December 2005 - August 2006, maintenance supervisor, 749th Aircraft Maintenance MXS, Travis AFB, California
11. October 2006 - February 2007, commander, 512th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Dover AFB, Delaware
12. February 2007 - July 2008, commander, 712th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Dover AFB, Delaware
13. July 2008 - February 2011, commander, 512th Logistics Readiness Flight, Dover AFB, Delaware
14. February 2011 – March 2015, commander, 512th Mission Support Group, Dover AFB, Delaware
15. April 2015 – March 2017, commander, 433rd Maintenance Group, JBSA-Lackland, Texas
16. March 2017 – October 2017, director, logistics, Engineering, & Force Protection, 4 AF/A4, March ARB, California
17. October 2017 – August 2019, chief, logistics readiness division, AFRC/A4R, Robins AFB, Georgia
18. September 2019 – July 2020, commander, 434th Maintenance Group, Grissom ARB, Indiana
19. July 2020 – Present, commander, 434th Mission Support Group, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with device
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with silver hourglass
NATO Medal with two devices
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 31, 1989
First Lieutenant June 1, 1991
Captain June 1, 1993
Major Oct. 1, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 17, 2006
Colonel May 1, 2011
(Current as of August 2020)