Col Nicholas Ihde is the Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The wing’s mission is to train the world’s greatest fighter pilots and combat-ready Airmen. As part of Air Combat Command, and home to 27 squadrons with F-35A Lightning II and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, the 56th Fighter Wing is the largest fighter wing in the U.S. Air Force with more than $11 billion in aircraft and 7,000 total force personnel. The wing graduates more than 200 F-35A pilots and 270 air control professionals annually. The 56th Fighter Wing also supports flying operations based at Klamath Falls, Oregon. Additionally, the 56th Fighter Wing manages the Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field and the Barry M. Goldwater Range, a military training range spanning more than 1 million acres of the Sonoran Desert.
Col Ihde received his commission from the University of Florida through ROTC in 2002. He earned his wings in 2003 at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. He is a command pilot with more than 2,200 hours, primarily in the F-16 and F-35A. He served as an F-35A and F-16 evaluator, instructor, weapons officer, and operational test pilot. He has multiple combat tours in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, with more than 270 combat hours. Prior to his current assignment, Col Ihde was the 85th Fighter Group commander at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas where he oversaw the training of eight Foreign Military Sales F-35 countries in the largest pilot training center of its kind.
EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor of Science, Business Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2009 U.S. Air Force Weapons School Graduate, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2011 Master of Aeronautical Science, Embry Riddle University, Fla.
2011 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2014 U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, Kan.
2021 Master of National Security Strategy, National War College, Washington, D.C.
2023 MIT Sloan Executive Business Program Graduate, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2002-October 2003, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, 37th/50th Flight Training Squadrons, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
2. November 2003-November 2004, Student, F-16 Basic Qualification, 308th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
3. December 2004-March 2006, Electronic Combat Pilot, 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea
4. May 2006-May 2008, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, Stan Eval (Muwaffaq Salti AB, Jordan) 55th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
5. May 2008-June 2009, Weapons and Tactics Flight Commander, Assistant Director of Operations (332d Air Expeditionary Wing, Joint Base Balad, Iraq), 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
6. June 2009-December 2009, Student, Weapons Instructor Course, 16th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. December 2009-March 2011, Chief of Weapons, 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
8. March 2011-December 2013, Weapons Instructor Course Instructor Pilot, Wing Weapons Officer (451st Air Expeditionary Wing, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan), 16th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
9. December 2013-December 2014, Student, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
10. January 2015-May 2017, Director of Operations, 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.
11. May 2017-May 2019, Commander, 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.
12. May 2019-June 2020, Chief of Fighter and Weapons Programs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Legislative Liaison, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. June 2020-June 2021, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
14. June 2021-May 2023, Joint Strategic Planning, Joint Staff (J5), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. May 2023-June 2024, USAF Service Deputy, F-35 Joint Program Office, Crystal City, Va.
16. July 2024-July 2026, Commander, 85th Fighter Group, Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Ark.
17. July 2026-present, Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2021-May 2023, Joint Strategic Planning, Joint Staff (J5), Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel and colonel
2. May 2023-June 2024, Air Force Service Deputy, F-35 Joint Program Office, Crystal City, Va., as a colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 2,280; 270 combat hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38C, F-4, F-16C/D, F-35A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2002 Distinguished Graduate, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
2004 Top Graduate, Undergraduate Pilot Training
2008 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School
2014 Mac Harris Leadership Award / Top 20%, Command and general Staff College (Intermediate Developmental Education)
2021 Top 20%, National War College (Senior Developmental Education)
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 1, 2002
First Lieutenant May 1, 2004
Captain May 1, 2006
Major March 1, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel Feb 1, 2017
Colonel May 1, 2023
(Current as of July 2026)