Colonel William D. Betts commands the 8^th Operations Group at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea.  As commander, he is responsible for the conduct of conventional air-to-ground and air-to-air missions in support of armistice and wartime taskings to defend the Republic of Korea.

Colonel Betts received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in May 1995. He has served as an F-35 and F-16 Instructor Pilot and an F-16 Weapons Officer. He has operational experience in Southwest Asia and Far East Asia as well as combat tours in Operations SOUTHERN WATCH and NORTHERN WATCH. He has served as Deputy Chief, Joint Doctrine Division on the Joint Staff and as the Senior Air Defense Officer in the U.K.’s Joint Force Air Component Headquarters. Colonel Betts also served as the Commander, 33^rd Operation Support Squadron, Eglin AFB, Florida. Prior to his current assignment, he was a student at the Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Colonel Betts is a Command Pilot with over 2,000 flying hours, the majority of which are in the F-16.

EDUCATION:

1995, Bachelor of Science, Engineering Science, United States Air Force Academy
2001, Squadron Officer School (Residence)
2009, Advanced Command and Staff College, Shrivenham, U.K. (Residence)
2009, Masters, Political Science, Kings College, London
2014, Air War College (Residence)

ASSIGNMENTS:

1.   Nov 95 - Mar 97, student, undergraduate pilot training, Vance AFB, OK.
2.   Mar 97 - Dec 97, student, F-16 Formal Training Unit, 308th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, AZ
3.   Jan 98 - Oct 00, Electronic Combat Pilot, 77th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, SC
4.   Oct 00 - Jul 02, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 36th Fighter Squadron, Osan AB, ROK
5.   Jul 02 - Dec 02, Student, Weapons Instructor Course, 16th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV

6.   Dec 02 - Dec 04, Chief, Weapons and Tactics, 524th Fighter Weapons Squadron, Cannon AFB, NM
7.   Jan 05 - Jul 08, Director of Operations, 16th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV
8.   Jul 08 - Jul 09, Student, Advanced Command and Staff College, Shrivenham U.K
9.   Jul 09 - Jul 10, Senior Air Defense Officer, Joint Force Air Component Headquarters, RAF High Wycombe, UK
9.   Jul 10 - May 13, F-35 Initial Cadre, Chief of Safety, 33^rd Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, FL

10. May 11 - May 13, Commander, 33^rd Operational Support Squadron, Eglin AFB, FL

11. May 13 - April 14, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, FL
12. May 14 - Jul 16, Deputy Chief, Joint Doctrine Division, Joint Staff, Pentagon

13. Jul 16 – Present, Commander, 8^th Operations Group, Kunsan AB, Korea

FLIGHT INFORMATION:
Rating:  Command Pilot
Flight Hours:  2,000 hours
Aircraft Flown:  T-41, T-37, T-38, AT-38, F-15E, F-16, F-18, and F-35

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Army Commendation Medal

Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster  
National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korean Defense Service Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:

Second Lieutenant: 31 May 1995
First Lieutenant:   31 May 1997
Captain:   31 May 1999
Major:    1 July 2005
Lieutenant Colonel:  1 June 2010
Colonel: 1 May 2016