Col. Gregory P. Huhmann is the Commander of the 225th Air Defense Group, Western Air Defense Sector, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. As Commander, Col. Huhmann supervises 295 personnel across two squadrons and a tailored Wing Staff. His task and purpose are to deliver personnel and effects that make the Western Air Defense Sector’s 24/7 air defense mission of Operation NOBLE EAGLE successful. Col. Huhmann leads the Sector’s deployed-in-place personnel as they deliver operations, training, tactics, intelligence, cyber/communications, civil engineering, logistics, and mission support functions that support peacetime air sovereignty, strategic air defense, and airborne counterdrug operations in the continental United States. He also serves as a Sector Battle Commander in support of North American Aerospace Defense Command.
Col. Huhmann entered the Air Force in 2000 as a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and was assigned to the 394th Combat Training Squadron, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri where he managed the ground training syllabus for the B-2 Spirit formal training unit. He earned his pilot wings in 2002 at Laughlin AFB, Texas. Col. Huhmann served a total of 17 years in the active-duty Air Force where he has performed duties as a KC-135 Stratotanker instructor and evaluator pilot, the 22nd Operations Support Squadron Director of Operations, Chief of the Tanker Airlift Control Center’s International Clearance and Flight Plans division, and Air Mobility Command’s Evaluator Pilot for the KC-135. In the Spring of 2017, he transitioned to the Washington Air National Guard where he has served as the 141st Air Refueling Wing’s Chief of Safety, Commander of the 141st Maintenance Squadron, and Commander of the 141st Operations Support Squadron, during this time he also served as the interim 141st Operations Group Commander overseeing the training, equipping, and employment of KC-135’s and support staff. From 2002 to 2021, Col. Huhmann has deployed numerous times in support of our nation’s 20-year Global War on Terror. He has accumulated nearly 1,500 combat and combat support flying hours while operating the KC-135 in support of U.S. and Allied receiver aircraft. He commanded the first detachment of KC-135s in Iraq and conducted the site survey to establish the first detachment of KC-135s in Afghanistan.
Prior to his current position, Col. Huhmann was the Operations and Air Component Coordination Advisor to the Commander, Washington Air National Guard, Joint Forces Headquarters – Washington staff.
EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Science, Biology, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2000 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2005 Masters of Business Administration, Webster University, St Louis, Mo.
2007 Squadron Officer School, by Correspondence
2011 Air Command and Staff College, by Correspondence
2016 Air War College, by Correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
May 2000 – February 2001, Chief of Ground Scheduling, 394th Combat Training Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
February 2001 – August 2002, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, 47th Flying Training Wing, Laughlin AFB, Texas
August 2002 – August 2006, KC-135 Pilot, Aircraft Commander, Standardization & Evaluation Liaison Officer & Squadron Executive Officer, 92nd Air Refueling Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
August 2006 – August 2009, KC-135 Instructor Pilot and Flight Commander, 909th ARS, Kadena Air Base, Japan
August 2009 – May 2014, KC-135 Instructor and Evaluator Pilot, Chief of Operations Group Training, Operations Officer, Chief of Operations Group Standardization and Evaluation, 22nd Operations Support Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
May 2014 – May 2017, Chief of International Flight Plans and Diplomatic Clearances Tanker Airlift Control Center and Air Mobility Command Evaluator Pilot, 618th Air Operations Center, Scott AFB, Ill.
May 2017 – May 2018, Chief of Safety, 141st Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
May 2018 – June 2020, Commander, 141st Maintenance Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
June 2020 – January 2023, Commander, 141st OSS, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
January 2023 – January 2025, Operations and Air Component Coordination Advisor to the Commander, Washington Air National Guard, Joint Forces Headquarters, Camp Murray, Wash.
January 2025 – Present, Commander, 225th Air Defense Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: Over 4,200
Aircraft Flown: T-37B, T-1A, KC-135R/T/RT
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 31, 2000
First Lieutenant May 31, 2002
Captain May 31, 2004
Major October 1, 2010
Lieutenant Colonel February 1, 2016
Colonel March 2, 2023
(Current as of January 2025)