Col. William D. Lutmer is the Commander, 31st Operations Group, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy. The Operations Group consists of eight squadrons that continually support operations and exercises across three Combatant Commands. The wide-ranging operational capabilities are brought by Airmen from the 31st Operations Support Squadron, 56th and 57th Rescue Squadrons, 717th and 731st Expeditionary Attack Squadrons, 510th and 555th Fighter Squadrons, and the 606th Air Control Squadron.
Col. Lutmer is a graduate of The Ohio State University and received his commission through AFROTC. Col. Lutmer is a command pilot with over 2,600 hours in the F-16. He has four combat deployments supporting Operations IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM and INHERENT RESOLVE. He has held a variety of flying positions to include F-16 fighter squadron commander, F-16 instructor pilot, flight examiner, weapons officer, and United States Air Force Weapons School instructor.
Prior to this position, Col. Lutmer was the Future Operations Division Chief for the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Science in Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
2002 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2010 USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nevada
2012 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2012 Masters of Systems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
2020 Masters of Science in Airpower Strategy and Technology Integration, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2002 – December 2003, Student, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard AFB, TX
2. January 2004 – November 2004, Student, F-16 Flying Training, Luke AFB, AZ
3. November 2004 – November 2007, Squadron Scheduler, Electronic Combat Pilot, 14th Fighter Squadron, Misawa AB, Japan
4. November 2007 – June 2010, Assistant Chief of Weapons, Flight Commander, F-16 Evaluator Pilot, 77th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, SC
5. January 2011 – January 2012, Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 80th Fighter Squadron, 8th Operational Support Squadron, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea
6. January 2012 – August 2014, Assistant Director of Operations, 16th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV
7. August 2014 – August 2015, Director of Operations, 414th Combat Training Squadron (RED FLAG), Nellis AFB, NV
8. August 2015 – January 2016, Assistant Director of Operations, 55th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, SC
9. January 2016 – May 2017, Director of Operations, 55th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, SC
10. June 2017 – June 2018, Commander, 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea
11. June 2018 – June 2019, Air Superiority Branch Chief, Combat Air Forces Division, Pentagon
12. June 2019 – June 2020, Blue Horizons Fellow, Maxwell AFB, AL
13. June 2020 – June 2022, Aerospace Defense Plans Branch Chief, NORAD and USNORTHCOM J55, Peterson SFB, CO
14. June 2022 – May 2023, Future Plans Division Chief, NORAD J35, Peterson SFB, CO
15. May 2023 – Present, Commander, 31st Operations Group, Aviano AB, Italy
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2020 – May 2022, Aerospace Defense Plans Branch Chief, NORAD and USNORTHCOM J5, Peterson SFB, CO, as a Lt Col
2. May 2022 – May 2023, Future Operations Division Chief, NORAD J3, Peterson SFB, CO, as a Colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: 2900
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, AT-38, F-16C/D
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with six oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with eight oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
(CURRENT AS OF MAY 2023)